Cybersecurity Reach Foundation
All partner resources

Guide

Stop, Check, Verify

Three steps for anything that feels wrong: stop, check, verify.

For
All partners
Status
Reviewed
Version
2026-09-01
Preview of the printable Stop, Check, Verify sheet
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One sheet of Letter paper, with a space at the bottom for your organization. The full wording is below, so you can copy any part of it.

Stop

Scammers want you to hurry. Pause before you click, call, reply, pay, or share.

Check

Never use the link or number in the message. Check it with a free service instead.

  • Suspicious email: InboxSpotter
  • Suspicious text or chat: CyberScout
  • Suspicious link or website: the CSRF checker
  • Known scam pattern: ScamArchive

Verify

Contact them yourself, on a number, app, or website you already trust.

Warning signs

  • Urgency or threats
  • Asks for a password, code, card, or ID
  • Wants gift cards, a wire, or cryptocurrency
  • A web address that is almost right
  • Asks you to keep it secret
  • About something you never started

If you are unsure

Ask someone you trust to look with you. Waiting is safer than guessing.

Before you distribute this

  • Use it: A handout, or the start of a workshop.
  • Open every web address yourself before printing it.
  • Current warnings live at watchout.report. Check the date on anything time-sensitive.
Use your browser's print dialog to save this as a PDF.

Cybersecurity Reach Foundation · cybersecurityreach.org · Current warnings: watchout.report

General safety information. CSRF is not a crisis, legal, banking, safeguarding, or law-enforcement service.