Fraud prevention
With the rise in digital scams and phishing attempts, it is important to know how to avoid falling victim to them. While traditional phishing is still common, artificial intelligence (AI) has made scams smarter, more personalised, and harder to spot.
We encourage all users to learn how to identify and avoid phishing scams and modern AI-enhanced tactics.
Sign of a phishing scam
Typos
Many phishing attempts contain spelling and grammatical errors because scammers don’t usually use professional content writers.
Suspicious links and attachments
Phishing messages may include harmful links or attachments to steal your personal data or install malware. These links may use misspellings of real websites, or they may be hosted on suspicious and unsecured domains.
Urgency
Creating a sense of urgency, fear, or excitement is a common tactic. Scammers want you to act quickly, so you share details or make a transaction without thinking.
Promises of easy money
Impersonating profiles may claim you have won money and ask for your password or bank number. Deriv never asks for your personal or financial details through social media, and we don’t run nor do we do giveaways or promotions.
Unknown senders
Phishing attempts may come from email addresses and social media profiles similar to ours, but with misspelt names. Only trust information posted from the social media profiles listed at the bottom of our website.
Signs of AI-enabled fraud
Remote access requests
A request to take control of your device, download an app, scan a QR code, or click on a link can be a phishing attempt.
Investment scams
Watch for "limited-time" offers that claim low risks or make unrealistic promises. Scammers may build trust over time and imitate real behaviour before asking for money or access to your account.
Unrealistic offers
If a promise sounds too good to be true, it’s likely to be a scam.
Impersonation scams using deepfakes
Scammers use AI to clone voices or create videos that convincingly mimic family members, bank staff, or officials. They may use these "deepfakes" in unsolicited calls or messages to build false trust and pressure you to act quickly. Always verify the source independently, as advanced tools can make fake offers and identities look and sound professional.
AI-crafted phishing
AI is used to analyse your social media data and create highly personalised messages that copy Deriv’s tone and branding. These messages often link to almost identical fake websites designed to capture your passwords or personal details.
Best practices to stay safe
Pause and think
Never rush into sending money or clicking links. If a request feels unusual, stop and reassess.
Keep your software updated
Use antivirus protection and keep your software up to date to defend against AI-powered threats.
Secure your accounts
Use strong, unique passwords and enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) whenever possible.
Don’t share personal info
We will never ask for your PINs, passwords, or security codes via email, text, or phone.
Verify independently
Always check where a message or call is coming from. Verify requests through our official channels (Deriv platform, official email, or phone).
What to do if you become a victim
Step 1
Stop transactions immediately
Block further transfers to suspicious accounts to avoid additional losses.
Step 2
Contact your bank
Inform your financial institution immediately via official channels to freeze accounts or reverse transactions, if possible.
Step 5
Beware of recovery scams
Be cautious of anyone claiming to be an authority offering to recover your lost money for a fee.
Step 3
Change all passwords
Update passwords on all your devices and apps, as fraudsters often try to use leaked credentials on multiple platforms.
Step 4
Report and alert
Report the incident to the police or your national financial authority, and inform your friends and family to raise awareness.
This guidance is specifically designed to help you protect your Deriv trading account and account security. You may also be targeted by market scams that are unrelated to Deriv offerings.
Deriv’s phishing resources
As part of our continuous efforts to foster a safe online trading community, visit the following links to explore more on:
