I got a verification code I did not ask for — what does that mean?
Why an unexpected code usually means the password is already known, the one thing never to do with it, and the fifteen minutes of work that closes the door.
beginner15 min3 min read
Security & Privacy
The few habits that actually protect your accounts.
131 guides in Technology
I got an email saying they have a video of me — is it real?
Why the email quotes a password you recognise, why there is almost never a video, what paying actually does, and the different route when the threat is real.
beginner5 min3 min readIs a password manager safe if the company gets hacked?
How the encryption actually works, what a real breach of a manager did and did not expose, the risk that is genuinely yours, and when a manager is still the right answer.
beginner10 min3 min readAre QR codes safe to scan?
Why a QR code is just a link you cannot read, where fake ones are being placed in the UK, and the two checks that make scanning safe.
beginner10 min3 min readCan someone steal my phone number, and how would I know?
How a number is taken over, why losing signal is the alarm, the accounts to secure first, and the port-out protections most networks offer but do not advertise.
beginner12 min3 min readDo I still need to pay for antivirus software?
What the built-in protection now covers on Windows, Mac, Android and iPhone, where a paid product genuinely adds something, and why the biggest risks are no longer viruses at all.
beginner10 min3 min readHow do I buy gig or festival tickets without being scammed?
Why the sold-out moment is when fraud peaks, the resale sites that are actually accountable, and why paying by transfer to a stranger is the single decision that costs people the money.
beginner10 min3 min readHow do I help an older relative with money without taking over?
The formal arrangements banks actually offer — third-party access, view-only, carer cards, trusted contacts and power of attorney — and how to add fraud protection without removing independence.
intermediate40 min4 min readHow do I make sure a lost laptop or phone cannot be read?
Why full-disk encryption is what actually protects a lost device, how to check it is on, and the recovery key you must not lose.
beginner40 min3 min readHow do I reduce how much data companies hold on me?
The settings worth changing, the accounts worth closing, and the handful of habits that make the most difference.
beginner1 hr2 min readHow do I stop pop-up ads and browser hijacks?
Removing the extension or program causing pop-ups, restoring your homepage and search engine, and preventing it recurring.
beginner30 min2 min readSomeone has made fake or intimate images of me — what can I do?
The UK services that get intimate images taken down, the hash-based tool that works without you sending the images anywhere, the legal position on synthetic images, and how to report it.
beginner45 min3 min readSomeone has my account number and sort code — what can they actually do?
An honest risk assessment: what those two numbers can and cannot be used for, the direct debit protection that covers the main worry, and when it is worth changing the account.
beginner8 min3 min readWhere should I keep my backup and recovery codes?
What recovery codes are for, why storing them on the phone defeats the point, and a storage arrangement that survives a lost phone and a house fire.
beginner30 min3 min readHow do I avoid getting caught by subscription traps?
The patterns designed to make cancelling hard, and the defences that work regardless of how the sign-up is designed.
beginner30 min2 min readHow do I get my name and address off people-search websites?
The four places your details actually come from, the removal or opt-out route for each, and an honest account of what stays findable whatever you do.
intermediate1 hr 30 min4 min readHow often should I actually change my passwords?
Why scheduled password changes were abandoned by the people who invented the advice, the four events that genuinely require a change, and what to do instead of a calendar reminder.
beginner7 min3 min readIs this flat or holiday let listing a scam?
Why the photographs are always real, the pressure that stops people viewing, the checks that identify a fake landlord, and the deposit rules that a genuine letting must follow.
beginner12 min3 min readHow did scammers get my number, and how do I get fewer scam texts?
The four routes numbers actually travel by, why some of them make the volume unfixable, and the measures that genuinely reduce what arrives.
beginner10 min3 min readHow do I close the online accounts of someone who has died?
The order to work in, the bereavement routes each major provider actually operates, what you can and cannot get access to, and the subscriptions that keep charging until someone stops them.
intermediate2 hr4 min readHow do I know whether a browser extension is safe to keep?
The dangerous extension is usually not one you installed by mistake. It is one you installed deliberately, trusted for years, and which was sold or compromised and then updated itself. How to judge one before installing, and how to audit what you already have.
intermediate25 min8 min readHow do I protect my credit file after fraud or a data breach?
The three UK credit reference agencies, what a Cifas protective registration does and costs you, notices of correction, and what to check once a year afterwards.
beginner20 min3 min readHow do I remove a device I no longer have from my account?
Clearing an old phone, laptop or television from your accounts when you cannot get it back — including the activation lock that makes a device unsellable.
beginner30 min3 min readHow do I set up parental controls?
Layering controls across the router, the device and individual apps, and being realistic about what they achieve.
beginner1 hr2 min read
Going deeper: DecisionHQ
Product and option comparisons with explicit criteria, rather than a single recommendation.