Swipe to survive
Your inbox is filling up. What gets through?
Block the scams, allow the real ones. Then see which ones caught you out.
Scams need you to do something
Most real messages just tell you things. Your parcel’s on its way, your code is 712 994, dinner’s ready. A scam needs you to do something, and it usually wants it done now. Two warning signs tell you when to stop and check.
You’ve got a hoodie listed on Vinted, and this text arrives. It’s a scam. Can you spot how it pressures you, and what it wants from you, before you check?
The pressure and the ask, both in one text. Here’s the thinking to copy:
- ‘They want my card details, through a link in a text. If Vinted needs my payment details, I’d add them inside the app.’
- ‘The 24-hour deadline is there to make me panic. That’s my cue to slow down.’
- ‘The link looks wrong, but a scam link can look right too, so I won’t go by the link.’
- ‘I’ll close the text and open Vinted myself.’ If something really has sold, it’ll show up there, and that’s where you sort out getting paid.
Pressure is a reason to check, not to skip checking
Pay within 24 hours. Your account will be locked. Appeal in the next 12 hours. The deadline is there to stop you thinking. The moment a message rushes you, slow down.
Scams often rush you, but some sound calm and friendly, and some chat for a while before they ask. Look at what you’re being asked to do, not just the tone.
What do they want from you?
An unexpected request for money or information is a reason to pause:
- A fee to release a parcel, a prize or a payment
- Your card or bank details, to ‘release’ money or ‘cancel’ a charge
- Your password, or a login typed into a page they sent you to
- A code that just arrived on your phone, read out or sent on to them
- Money, fast, from a name you know on a number you don’t
Some real messages need you to do something too. The rule is the same every time: don’t do it through the message. Open the official app or website yourself. If it says it’s from someone you know, ring them on the number you already have saved.
What real messages look like
Most messages from people and apps you already use are boring. A delivery slot, a receipt, a login code you just requested, a mate asking about homework. Nothing to pay, nothing to confirm, nothing to type in.
A link on its own isn’t a red flag, and a real-looking one isn’t proof either. If a message says something’s wrong with your account, a parcel or a payment, don’t do it through the message. Open the official app or website yourself.
Now try two
Look for the rush and the ask, then decide.
Say that text left you worried about your Snapchat. How would you check?
The habit Unexpected request for money, details or a code? Pause. Don’t do it through the message. Open the official app or website yourself. If it says it’s from someone you know, ring them on the number you already have saved.
The clock is only there because it’s a game. In real life a message can wait while you check.
35 messages, three lives and a clock that gets faster.
No timer, no lives, every card explained.
Review your answers
Already shared something?
There are steps you can take. Tell a parent, carer or teacher straight away, then:
- A password: change it in the official app, sign out of other devices, and change it anywhere else you use it.
- A login code: use the service’s official app or website to get help securing your account.
- Bank, card or payment details, or a bank code: ask the adult to contact the bank or payment provider, using the number on the back of the card or the official app.