How to use Summarly to check a suspicious message

What Summarly is for

Summarly is for anyone who receives a message, email, text, letter or document and isn't sure what to make of it — or whether to trust it. It explains what the message appears to say in plain English, flags patterns commonly seen in scams or suspicious communications, and suggests safer next steps.

Summarly is not a fraud investigation service. It cannot confirm whether something is definitely genuine or definitely a scam. It is a starting point that helps you understand a message before deciding what to do next.

What you can submit

Text tab: Paste the full text of an email, letter, text message or any other written content. For emails, including the sender address and subject line gives Summarly more to work with. For letters, type out or copy the key sections.

Image tab: Upload a photo or screenshot of a message, letter, email or document. The image should be clear and readable. If a document is long, uploading the most relevant section — the heading, key claim and any contact or payment details — often produces the most useful result.

QR code tab: Upload a photo or screenshot that includes a QR code and the surrounding message. If the QR destination URL is visible in the image, Summarly will assess it. If the destination cannot be seen, Summarly will flag that it could not be inspected.

What to leave out where possible

Summarly sends submitted content to an AI service for analysis. Before submitting, consider removing details that are not needed for the assessment — things like your full name, home address, date of birth, National Insurance number, account numbers, passwords, or bank card details.

Reference numbers, dates, contact details in the message, sender addresses, and the main text are usually sufficient for Summarly to assess whether something looks suspicious.

How to read Summarly's result

Summarly returns a risk label and a plain-English explanation. The risk labels are:

• High risk — the message contains strong warning signs. Do not click links, call numbers, or use any contact details within the message. Verify independently.
• Caution — there are some concerns but the evidence is not conclusive. Treat with care and verify before acting.
• Follow-up recommended — the message appears to contain something that needs attention, such as a payment, deadline or action. No obvious scam signs, but worth verifying.
• Routine — nothing suspicious was identified in the visible content.

Below the risk label, Summarly provides a brief explanation, a summary of what the message appears to say, any warning signs found, and suggested next steps.

What to do if Summarly is unsure

Sometimes Summarly will return a Caution result rather than a clear High risk or Routine result. This often happens when the submitted content is a screenshot without headers, or when the message is ambiguous — it could be genuine, or it could be suspicious.

In these cases, verify independently. Find the organisation's official website by searching independently, log into your account directly, or call using a number from a trusted source — not the number in the message.

What Summarly cannot confirm

Summarly cannot confirm that something is definitely genuine or definitely a scam. It flags visible warning signs based on what you submit, but:

• It cannot verify whether a sender address is truly the organisation it claims to be
• It cannot access external websites to check link destinations
• It cannot guarantee that a message marked Routine is safe to act on
• It cannot replace advice from a bank, professional or official organisation

Summarly is a useful tool for understanding warning signs. It works best as a starting point, not a final decision.

Frequently asked questions