Can I promote my anti-phishing tool or service here?
No. The rules say they do not permit advertisement or solicitation, so any promotional post will be removed.
Subreddit guides
r/phishing rules, stats, and what to post
A source-backed Rankhog guide to r/phishing: public rules, community context, posting fit, and startup-promotion risk before you publish.
By Anthony Riera, founder and operator of Rankhog.
Subreddit guides combine public Reddit source URLs, captured rules, visible verification dates, and Rankhog's account-safety workflow.
Current public stats
- Members
- 40,077
- Verified
- September 24, 2026
- Category
- Everyday life tips and practical advice communities
Rules can change, so Rankhog keeps verification dates and the original public Reddit sources visible.
Rule summary
- Be civil: Posts and comments at r/phishing should be civil. We don't allow: - Uncivil or toxic behavior - Excessive or directed swearing - Unnecessary sexual language - Victim blaming - Any form of discrimination Regardless of whether a question has been posted here once or a thousand times, or if the answer seems obvious, remember there is a real person behind the screen. Be kind, not snarky.
- No spam/offtopic: This subreddit is a place for phishing identification. We do not permit: - Low effort posts - Anything that is not related to phishing - AI-generated posts/comments - Meme posts - Jokes on serious posts - Advertisement or solicitation Questions about general scams (romance scams, fake checks, job listings, etc) should be posted to r/Scams Posts related to sextortion should be submitted to r/Sextortion Questions concerning identity theft must be asked in r/IdentityTheft
- No personal information: Sharing personal information is strictly forbidden in this subreddit. Please censor any personal information in posts and comments. This includes: - Full names - ANY phone number of any type - Personal email addresses - Social media handles - Physical addresses - Photos of people with uncensored faces The exception to this rule is people who present themselves as public figures (ie, celebrities, internet personalities, etc.)
- No personal army or revenge requests: We do not allow requests to: - Mass report accounts, websites, apps, etc. - Text/call alleged scam phone numbers - Harass alleged scammers Innocent people have their identities and contact information spoofed by scammers, and this behavior is not aligned with Reddit's content policy.
- No private messaging: Don't ask for contact via private message, like: - Asking for a DM here on Reddit - Asking to be contacted via email/social media - Wrangling victims of a similar situation than yours, by any means We need to keep the community safe from recovery scammers or bad advice. Remember: never take advice in private, because we can't look out for you. If you take advice in private, you're on your own.
- No NSFW content: We do not allow NSFW content: - Don't post sexual content without censoring it - Don't upload photos of injured/dead people or animals - Applying a NSFW tag *is not properly censoring*
- No illegal activities: We do not allow discussing illegal, unethical or otherwise forbidden activities, including but no limited to: - Buying or selling drugs/pharmaceuticals/weapons - Committing fraud against financial institutions - Scambaiting or scamming the scammers - Buying or selling social media accounts, or online game accounts If you got phished while trying to do any of the above, we cannot help you.
Works well
- A detailed teardown of a phishing email with every name, number, and address censored, explaining the red flags in plain language.
- A clear, civil answer to someone asking if a message is phishing, pointing out the specific signs without any link or product mention.
- An educational post about a new phishing technique you have seen, with no personal information and no solicitation, just useful awareness.
Avoid
- Offering your product or service, since the rules say they do not permit advertisement or solicitation.
- Posting general scam questions such as romance scams, fake checks, or job listings, because the rules send those to other subreddits.
- Asking people to DM you or contact you by email or social media, as private messaging is not allowed.
- Sharing any phone number, email, physical address, social media handle, or uncensored face, because personal information is strictly forbidden.
- Using AI-generated posts or comments, since the rules explicitly ban them.
- Posting memes, jokes on serious posts, or low effort content, because the community is for phishing identification only.
What r/phishing Is For
This community is for phishing identification and discussion. People come here to ask whether a message they received is a phishing attempt, to report phishing, and to talk about phishing scams. The public description says the scope is questions about phishing scams, reporting phishing, and general discussion. The rules narrow that further by sending general scams to r/Scams, sextortion to r/Sextortion, and identity theft to r/IdentityTheft, so this space is strictly about phishing.
Rules That Matter Before Posting
The rule called No spam/offtopic is the one that will kill almost any marketing-adjacent post, because it says they do not permit advertisement or solicitation. The rule called No personal information matters for any screenshot or example you share, since you must censor full names, any phone number, personal email addresses, social media handles, physical addresses, and uncensored faces. The rule called No private messaging matters if you are tempted to move a conversation to a DM, because asking for a DM or email contact is not allowed. The rule called No illegal activities also matters, since scambaiting or scamming the scammers is explicitly forbidden.
What To Post
If you are a founder doing respectful Reddit marketing here, your post has to look like genuine help with phishing identification, not promotion. You could share a detailed breakdown of a phishing email you analyzed, with all personal information censored, explaining what red flags you noticed and how someone can spot the same thing. You could answer someone's question about whether a message is phishing, pointing out the specific signs without linking to your product. The goal is to be useful and educational, and to let your expertise speak for itself. If your product or tool is relevant, it still cannot be advertised or solicited, so you would only mention it if someone directly asks and even then you should stay within the rules. Keep everything public, keep it civil, and censor every personal detail in any screenshot you share.
What To Avoid
Do not post anything that reads as advertisement or solicitation, because the rules say they do not permit it. Do not post general scam questions, sextortion, or identity theft questions here, because the rules redirect them to other subreddits. Do not share personal information, including full names, any phone number, personal email addresses, social media handles, physical addresses, or photos with uncensored faces. Do not ask for private messages or offer to help someone through a DM, email, or social media. Do not use AI-generated posts or comments. Do not post memes, jokes on serious posts, or low effort content. Do not ask the community to mass report, text, call, or harass alleged scammers, and do not discuss scambaiting or any illegal activity.
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Common questions about r/phishing
Can I post about a sextortion or identity theft issue?
No. Sextortion posts go to r/Sextortion, identity theft questions go to r/IdentityTheft, and general scams go to r/Scams.
What personal information do I need to censor before posting?
You must censor full names, any phone number, personal email addresses, social media handles, physical addresses, and uncensored faces in photos.
Can I ask someone to message me privately for help?
No. The rules say to keep all discussion public and never ask for or offer help through private messages, partly to protect people from recovery scammers.
Can I ask the community to mass report a scam website or harass a scammer?
No. The rules ban scambaiting or scamming the scammers and do not allow mass reporting, texting, or harassing alleged scammers.
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