Free practice, no sign-up
Got a suspicious text or call?
Three things worth doing first, whatever the message says. They take about a minute and cost nothing.
Then, if you want it: practice is free, needs no sign-up, takes five to ten minutes, and ends with a certificate if you would like one.
1. Do not click, and do not call back
Not the link, not the number in the message, not the reply. A link or number inside a message you cannot verify is part of that message.
2. Check it yourself, separately
Look up the company, bank, or office and contact them on a number you already have — from your card, a statement, a bill, or your own saved contacts. If the message was real, they will know about it.
3. Take the time to check
A short pause costs nothing if the message is genuine. A message that treats a pause as a problem has told you something useful about itself.
Already clicked, paid, or shared something?
Go to Help Now instead. It gives the next steps and the official places to report, without asking you what happened to you. Acting soon matters more than having every detail ready.
Practise the same decision on messages that are made up
Four short stories where a message, a call, or a pop-up arrives and you decide what to do. Everything in them is invented — no real company, no real number, nothing that can contact you.
- Five to ten minutes from start to finish.
- Free. No account, no sign-up, nothing to install.
- There is no score, no pass or fail, and no time limit.
- A certificate at the end, if you would like one.
Questions people ask first
Is it really free?
Yes. There is nothing to pay, no account to make, no email to give, and nothing to install. Your progress is kept on your own device and you can clear it whenever you like.
How long does it take?
Five to ten minutes for all four stories. You can stop after any one of them and come back later, and you will not lose what you have done.
Is anything in the practice real?
No. Every message, call, website, and payment request in it is invented. Nothing can contact you afterwards and nothing costs money.
Do I get a certificate?
Yes, if you would like one, after all four stories. You type the name you want on it, nothing is required, and the name is never saved or sent anywhere — it is there for printing and then gone.
Can you tell me whether the message I received is a scam?
No, and we would not want to guess about a specific message. What the practice does is make the checks familiar — who is really contacting you, and how you confirm it — so the decision is easier the next time one arrives.
Will this mean I never get scammed?
No, and we will not claim that. No training can prevent fraud or guarantee anyone's safety. Practising the checks is worth doing on its own terms, not as a promise about what happens next.
Is it suitable for older adults?
It was designed with older adults, families, and caregivers in mind. The text is large by default and can be made larger, there is no timer and no score, and every screen asks one thing at a time.
Can a library or community group use it?
Yes. It needs no accounts and no licence, so a group can work through it on any browser. Organisations that want to run a session can get in touch through the community page.
You can also read these without signing in to anything.