What's happened?
Some authors have reported receiving suspicious emails that appear to be from our platform or related services. These emails are not legitimate and were not sent by us.
After investigating, we can confirm that the email addresses targeted were obtained from publicly available information – specifically where authors have chosen to include their email address in their shop description or resource description. No private account data has been accessed, and our systems remain secure.
Is my information safe?
Yes. Your account and personal information are safe. The phishing emails were sent to publicly listed email addresses only. If you haven’t included your email address in your shop or resource descriptions, you are unlikely to have been targeted.
What should I do if I clicked on the information in the phishing email?
If you clicked on a link in one of these suspicious emails, please take the following steps immediately:
Change your password:
Update your account password to something strong and unique. Avoid using the same password across multiple platforms.
Check your payment details:
Review your payment information for any unauthorised changes or transactions.
Contact us:
Let us know as soon as possible on authors@tes.com. We’ll log out all devices from your account and help you secure it.
Contact Action Fraud:
Report the phishing attempt to Action Fraud, the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime. This helps authorities track and prevent further incidents.
Best practice for public email listings
Since the the phishing emails were sent to addresses listed publicly by authors, we recommend the following best practice going forward:
- Use a separate email address for any public listings (e.g. in your shop or resource descriptions)
- Keep your main account email address private – this is the address we use to contact you about your account, payments, and platform updates.
- Never share your main account email address publicly to reduce the risk of phishing or spam.
We will only ever contact you via your main account email address, so if you receive a message to a different address claiming to be from us, it’s likely not genuine.
How to spot a phishing email
Here are a few signs to watch out for:
- The sender’s email address looks suspicious or unfamiliar.
- The message contains poor spelling or grammar.
- It asks for urgent action or personal/financial information.
- It includes links or attachments you weren’t expecting.
- If you ever receive an email that doesn’t feel right, don’t click any links and contact our customer support team for guidance.
Thank you for your continued trust and for being a valued part of our author community.