Gmail blocks many scams automatically, but reporting the ones that slip through helps Google train filters and can protect other users from the same campaign.
Does this affect you?
Use this for Gmail on the web, Android, or iPhone when a fake delivery notice, bank alert, coworker message, invoice, or other suspicious email lands in the inbox.
Report it in Gmail on the web
The web version gives the clearest phishing choice.
- Open the email without clicking links or attachments.
- Click the three-dot More menu near the reply button.
- Choose Report phishing when the email impersonates someone or tries to steal information or money.
- Choose Report spam for unwanted junk without an obvious impersonation or theft attempt.
- Confirm the report. Gmail removes it from the inbox and sends the signal to Google.
Report it in the Gmail mobile app
The same idea takes only a few taps.
- Open the email in the Gmail app.
- Tap the three-dot menu.
- Choose Report phishing or Report spam.
- Confirm when prompted.
More control
If you clicked or entered a password
Go to myaccount.google.com/security, review Recent security activity, change the password if anything looks unfamiliar, and turn on 2-Step Verification.
Reporting is not the same as blocking
To stop a sender from reaching the inbox again, open the message, use the three-dot menu, and choose Block sender.
Do not unsubscribe from scams
Unsubscribe links in scam emails can confirm that your address is active. Report and delete instead.
Forward polished phishing for broader reporting
If a phishing message is unusually convincing, forwarding it to the Anti-Phishing Working Group at its public reporting address helps add it to wider industry databases.
Sources
- Google – Recognize and report phishing (2025)
- Google – Report spam, phishing, or malware in Gmail (2025)
- FTC – How to recognize and avoid phishing scams (2025)