Verdict · At home · Reviewed October 2026 · 4 sources
I clicked a link and I'm not sure what happens now
A click is usually fixable, and what you do next matters more than the click. Close the page, then change the password for the account the link pretended to be, from the real app and from a different device if you can.
The next two minutes
Close the page. Don't type anything else into it, and don't call any number it showed you.
Open the real app, or type the website yourself, and change that account's password. If you used the same password anywhere else, change it there too.
Turn on two-step sign-in or a passkey for that account, and check that the recovery email and phone number are still yours.
Typed a card number? Call the number on the card. Gave a Social Security number? Freeze your credit with each of the three credit bureaus; it's free.
Who to tell
- Your bank or card company
If you entered any card or bank details. Use the number on your card, not one from the page.
- IdentityTheft.gov
If you shared a Social Security number or an ID. It builds a recovery plan based on what was taken.
- ReportFraud.ftc.gov
Tell the Federal Trade Commission what the message said and where it led.
Say this
“If I click something I shouldn't, I close it and change that password from the real app, not from the link.”
One line to repeat, so the whole household (or team) answers the same way.
The step that stops the next one
Make sure it can't happen again
Your free Clear Path starts from this and puts the rest of your digital life in order, one small step at a time. No account needed.
Start my path from hereWhy this works
The figures behind the verdict, each with a dated source.
Phishing and spoofing were the most reported crime type to the FBI's internet crime center in 2025, with 191,561 complaints.1 Clicking one of these links is common, and it is not the end of the story.
If you think a scammer has your information, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) points you to IdentityTheft.gov, which lists steps based on what was taken. If you think a link downloaded harmful software, update your security software and run a scan.2
A credit freeze costs nothing to place or lift, and it doesn't affect your credit score. You ask each of the three credit bureaus separately.3
If you paid, the FTC's recovery steps depend on how: your bank for transfers, your card company for cards, the gift card company for gift cards.4
Why the rule holds: most of the harm from a bad link comes from what gets typed into it. Changing the password from the real app takes back a password you gave away, and two-step sign-in means a password alone isn't enough next time.
By the numbers
191,5611
Phishing and spoofing complaints to the FBI in 2025, the most of any crime type.
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), 2025 IC3 Annual Report, p. 7 (complaints by crime type)
Common questions
I only opened the page and didn't type anything. Do I still need to do all this?
Close the page and keep your phone or computer updated. Changing the password is a cheap extra step if you're unsure what you typed. The credit freeze is only for when you shared an ID number.
Should I wipe my phone?
Usually not. Update it, run the security scan your device offers, and change the passwords in the steps above. If your accounts keep changing without you, ask the account provider for help through its real app or website.
Keep going
- ThreatHomeBusiness
AI-powered phishing and business email compromise
Criminals now use AI to write fluent, personalized phishing emails and payment requests, in any language and at volume. Business email compromise (BEC), where a scammer poses as a boss, vendor or title company to redirect a payment, drew $3.05 billion in reported losses to the FBI in 2025. Typos are no longer the tell; a request to move money or change bank details is. Confirm every one on a second channel you already trust.
Read - GuideHome
Digital hygiene at home: the household baseline
A safe household runs on a few habits: one password manager, passkeys or multi-factor authentication (MFA) on the accounts that matter, automatic updates, and backups you've actually tested. AI adds one more: a family safe word and a callback rule, so a panicked call that sounds like family gets checked before anyone pays. People 60 and older reported $7.7 billion in losses to the FBI in 2025, so bring older relatives into the plan.
Read
Sources
Every figure on this page links to where it came from. We favor government, standards, and methodology-backed sources, and we take no money from anyone we cite.
- 12025 IC3 Annual Report (Internet Crime Report) · FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) · April 2026Government · accessed October 23, 2026
- 2How To Recognize and Avoid Phishing Scams · Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Consumer Advice · September 2022Government · accessed October 26, 2026
- 3Credit Freezes and Fraud Alerts · Federal Trade Commission (FTC) · August 2025Government · accessed October 23, 2026
- 4What To Do if You Were Scammed · Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Consumer Advice · June 2026Government · accessed October 23, 2026