How do I tell a real message from my bank?
The three things a real bank never does, why the number displayed proves nothing, and the pause that defeats the whole thing.
beginner20 min4 min read
Security & Privacy
The few habits that actually protect your accounts.
131 guides in Technology
How do I tell if a website is genuine before paying?
The checks that take two minutes, why the padlock proves nothing, and paying in a way that protects you if it turns out badly.
beginner20 min3 min readWhat do cookie banners actually mean?
The difference between the cookies a site needs and the ones it wants, and why 'reject all' is usually one click away even when it looks like it is not.
beginner12 min3 min readHow do I report a scam text, email or website?
The free UK reporting routes for texts, emails, calls and fake websites, which one to use for what, and why reporting is worth the two minutes.
beginner10 min3 min readHow do I stop a thief who has seen my passcode from taking over my phone?
Street phone theft is not about the handset. A thief who watched you type your passcode can reset your accounts, drain your wallet and lock you out of your own life — unless you have turned on the specific protections that stop exactly that, which take ten minutes.
beginner25 min8 min readHow do I spot a phishing email?
The signals that reliably identify a fake message, and the one habit that makes the question mostly irrelevant.
beginner10 min2 min readI got a message from my child on a new number — is it really them?
The message that starts "Hi Mum, I've lost my phone", why the story is always plausible, and the single verification step that ends it.
beginner6 min3 min readWhat should I do if my email has been hacked?
Regaining control, closing the attacker's routes back in, and limiting what they can reach next.
beginner1 hr 30 min2 min readHow do I check if my data has been in a breach?
How to find out, what to do first, and which accounts to fix in what order.
beginner30 min2 min readHow do I get back into a hacked Facebook or Instagram account?
The official recovery flows in the order they actually work, the changes an attacker makes to lock you out, and how to warn your contacts while you are still locked out.
intermediate1 hr3 min readHow do I make sure I am paying the right bank account?
Why the email is genuine-looking and often genuinely from the right address, the one verification step that stops it, and what to do in the minutes after paying the wrong account.
beginner12 min4 min readHow do I protect my privacy online?
The privacy settings and habits that make a real difference, and an honest account of what each one does and doesn't achieve.
beginner1 hr3 min readHow do I stop apps tracking my location?
The three permission levels, which apps genuinely need location, and the settings people never find.
beginner20 min2 min readWhat do I do if I let someone control my computer?
The order to work in after a remote access scam: money first, then access, then the machine — and why changing passwords on the affected computer makes things worse.
intermediate1 hr 30 min4 min readIs this call or pop-up about a problem with my computer a scam?
Why nobody can detect a virus on your machine from outside it, the refund variant that empties accounts, and what to do with a pop-up that will not close.
beginner10 min4 min readHow do I recover an account I am locked out of?
Working through account recovery methodically, and the preparation that makes it possible in the first place.
beginner1 hr2 min readHow do I tell an investment scam from a real opportunity?
The three checks that filter almost all investment fraud, why cloned firms are the hardest version, and what recovery fraud looks like afterwards.
beginner20 min3 min readIs this message about a tax refund, rebate or grant genuine?
How government departments actually contact you, why refunds never arrive by text link, and the GOV.UK page that lists every genuine contact method.
beginner8 min3 min readMy bank will not refund the money I was scammed out of — what now?
Turning a refusal into a formal complaint, the reasons banks give and how to answer each, and the free Financial Ombudsman route that overturns a substantial share of them.
beginner30 min3 min readHow do I check a call or email really is from the organisation it claims?
One procedure that works for banks, councils, energy suppliers, HMRC, schools, the police and couriers alike, and the specific ways people get the callback number wrong.
beginner8 min3 min readHow do I start using a password manager?
Setting one up, migrating existing passwords gradually, and the master password and recovery that make it safe.
beginner1 hr2 min readHow do I move my authenticator app to a new phone?
The transfer that has to happen before the old phone is wiped, how to move codes with and without an export feature, and what to do if the old phone has already gone.
intermediate45 min3 min readHow do I sell something online without being scammed?
The five scams aimed at sellers rather than buyers — code harvesting, fake payment screenshots, courier stories, overpayment and off-platform moves — and the rules that stop all five.
beginner12 min4 min readHow do I stop spam and scam phone calls?
Reducing the volume of unwanted calls and handling the ones that get through safely.
beginner30 min2 min read
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