How to use it
Copy the prompt into ChatGPT
Click Copy prompt, paste it into ChatGPT, then add the text you want checked. Do not include passwords, account numbers, Social Security numbers, full credit-card numbers, or private medical records.
You will use your own free or paid ChatGPT account. Practical Retiree Lab does not receive, store, or see what you paste into ChatGPT.
Please act as a cautious scam and spam checker.
I will paste a suspicious message below. Do not click any links. Analyze the text for signs of phishing, fraud, impersonation, fake urgency, malicious attachments, risky links, and requests for money or personal information.
Give me:
1. A risk rating: low, medium, high, or do not interact.
2. The specific warning signs you see.
3. What legitimate organization or person it claims to be from.
4. The safest next step, using an independent website, app, phone number, or known contact rather than the links in the message.
5. A short reply recommendation, including whether I should not reply at all.
Here is the message:
[PASTE MESSAGE HERE]
Related: AI for Retired ProfessionalsWhat it checks
- Pressure tactics and artificial urgency.
- Requests for money, gift cards, passwords, verification codes, or account access.
- Suspicious links, sender names, grammar, and mismatched details.
- Whether the message should be verified through an independent channel.
Warning signs
- Threats that your account will close immediately.
- Requests to click a link to fix a vague problem.
- Payment by gift card, wire, crypto, or unusual app.
- A message pretending to be a bank, delivery service, government agency, or family member.
Never paste passwords, verification codes, or account numbers into an AI chat. When in doubt, contact the bank, company, or person through a known official channel.
Worked example
See the checker applied to a real phishing email
Review a cloud-storage deletion message and examine the warning signs one by one.
Open the real phishing example →