“Your toll is overdue” texts are back
A link asks you to pay a small fee. The site steals your card number.
The tell: Toll agencies don’t text payment links from random numbers.
Independent · Reader-supported · Reviewed by practitioners
Security advice that sounds like a person, not a policy.
You don’t need to become an expert. You need a few good habits and someone to call when things go wrong. We write both.
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For you
Who are you?
Pick as many as you like. We’ll shape your reading list around them.
Alerts
This week’s scams
Fake bank “fraud team” asks you to move money
The caller says your account is at risk and you should move funds to a “safe” account.
The tell: Your bank will never ask you to move money to protect it.
Shared-document invites that ask you to sign in again
It looks like a normal file share. The sign-in page is fake.
The tell: Check the address bar before you type a password.
Start here
Five minutes. Five fixes.
These stop most of what we see in our inbox every week. Do them in order. Tick them off as you go.
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- 2 min
- 1 min
- 1 min
- 30 sec
- 30 sec
Latest guides
Read this week
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How to set up a password manager in 10 minutes
You remember one strong password. The app remembers the rest, and fills them in only on the right sites.
Photo: grandmother on landline phone, calm expression
What to say when a caller claims to be your grandkid
A short script that works even when you’re rattled.
Photo: small bakery owner at counter with tablet
The invoice-change email: a two-call rule for paying vendors
Never change bank details from an email alone.
Who writes this
People, with names.
Every guide is written by a reporter and checked by someone who does this work for a living.
Author photos: commissioned portraits, plain background.