The Call From Your Bank's Fraud Team
Practice spotting a fake bank fraud alert: the "did you make this purchase?" text, the faked caller ID, the code, the "safe account" and the courier.
Learn by doing
Scam simulators
Try today's most common scams in a safe practice run. You'll see the texts, calls and emails as they really look, choose what you'd do, and find out why each choice is safe or risky. Nothing you tap here is real, and nothing leaves your device.
Your family's results
Scores people have sent back to you, saved on this device only.
Why practice matters
$7.7 billion
reported lost to online and phone fraud by Americans aged 60 and over in 2025, up 59% in a year.
26.5%
of the money reported lost to Scamwatch in Australia in 2025 was lost by people aged 65 and over, who are about 17% of the population.
£15,311
was the average loss to UK courier fraud in 2025. About six in ten reports came from people aged 76 to 96.
How the simulators work
Scammers rely on surprise. Seeing their tricks once, somewhere safe, makes them much easier to spot when they're real.
See it as it really looks
Each simulator shows the scam the way it arrives: a text, a phone call, an email, a pop-up or a knock at the door.
Choose what you'd do
At each step, pick an answer. You'll find out straight away whether it was safe, and why.
Follow the whole scam
Even when you make the safe choice, you can keep going to see how the rest of the scam works, so you'll recognize it at any stage.
Keep the summary
Every simulator ends with what to look for, what to do, and where to report it in your country. You can print it.
Choose a simulator
Pick the one that sounds most like something you've seen, or start at the top. Each takes about five minutes.
Phone calls
Callers who pretend to be your bank, the police, the government or a family member.
The Grandchild in Trouble Call
Practice the grandchild-in-trouble call step by step: the crying voice, the fake lawyer, the gag order and the courier who comes for the cash.
The Arrest Warrant Call
Practice spotting the fake arrest warrant call: the "press 1" message, the badge number, the stay-on-the-line threat and the Bitcoin machine "bond".
The Three-Caller Scam
Practice spotting the FBI's "Phantom Hacker" scam: a fake technician, a fake bank fraud team and a fake federal agent who all want your savings.
The Power Shut-Off Call
Practice spotting the fake power shut-off call: the 45-minute deadline, the gift card or Bitcoin payment, the store barcode and the worker at your door.
The New Medicare Card Call
Practice spotting Medicare scams: the "new chip card" call, the free DNA swab at a health fair, the brace you didn't order and the charge on your statement.
Texts and emails
Messages about tolls, parcels, bills, charges and "new numbers".
The Unpaid Toll Text
Practice spotting the fake unpaid-toll text step by step: the link, the "reply Y" trick, the fake payment page and the code that hands over your card.
The "Hi Mum" Text
Practice spotting the "Hi Mum" new-number message: the broken phone, the bill paid into a stranger's account, and the voice note that sounds like your child.
The Surprise Renewal Invoice
Practice spotting a fake "your plan has renewed" invoice: the phone number, the refund that needs your computer, the "overpayment" and the gift cards.
The Friendly Wrong Number
Practice what to do when a friendly wrong-number text turns into a new friend, a crypto trading app and a tax bill before you can take your money out.
The Builder's New Bank Details
Practice spotting a fake "we've changed banks" email step by step: the look-alike address, the rush, the name-check warning and the call that stops it.
Computer, online and social media
Scams that start with a pop-up, an ad, a friend request, a message or a sale.
The Computer Virus Pop-Up
Practice what to do when a loud pop-up says your computer is locked: the phone number, the friendly technician, the fake scan and the gift cards.
The Perfect Match
Practice spotting a romance scam: the too-perfect stranger, the move to a private app, the video that's never live, and the fees that never end.
The Celebrity Investment Ad
Practice spotting a fake celebrity investment ad: the AI video, the copycat news page, the friendly account manager and the fees to get your money out.
The Eager Online Buyer
Practice selling something online safely: the buyer who can't come, the "prove you're real" code, the fake payment email and the overpayment refund.
The Prize You Never Entered
Practice what to do when a friend's account says you've won a big prize: the claim number, the fee that can't come out of the winnings, and what comes next.
The Disaster Appeal
Practice spotting a fake disaster appeal step by step: the heartbreaking post, the gift-card donation page, the pledge call and the collector at the door.
At your door
People who knock, or send someone round to collect.
The Police Officer Who Sends a Courier
Practice spotting courier fraud: the fake detective, the phone line that stays open, the cash or bank card "for evidence" and the courier at your door.
The Friendly Roofer at the Door
Practice saying no to a doorstep roofer step by step: the free look, the rotten wood, the half-price deal, the ride to the bank and what to do instead.
After a scam
The second scam that targets people who've already lost money.
The Offer to Get Your Money Back
Practice spotting a recovery scam: the firm that knows your loss, the fake federal agent, the upfront fee and the "recovered" money you can never withdraw.
Test your family
How would your family do?
Send the simulators to a parent, grandparent or friend. They try one on their own phone or computer, and at the end they can send their score straight back to you, so you can see which steps caught them out. Then talk it over together.
Nothing is sent to us. Your first name and their score travel only inside the link you send, after the # sign, which web browsers never send to our website.
The rules that stop almost every scam
Every simulator comes back to these. Print them and keep them by the phone.
- Hang up and call back on a number you find yourself: the back of your card, a bill, or the official website.
- Never share a code sent to your phone, and never let anyone who contacted you take control of your computer or phone.
- Never move money to keep it safe. No bank, police force or government agency will ever ask you to.
- Gift cards, crypto, Bitcoin machines, wire transfers, cash couriers and gold are how scammers get paid. Anyone who asks for them is a scammer.
- Secrecy and hurry are the giveaways. Anyone who tells you not to tell your bank or family, or to act right now, is working against you.
- Tell someone. Talk it over with a family member, a friend or your bank before you pay anyone you didn’t plan to pay.
Try them together
The simulators work well side by side: a grandchild and a grandparent at the kitchen table, or a club or library group with the page on a big screen. Take turns choosing, and talk about why.
Running a group? See our free resources for libraries, clubs and retirement villages. You're welcome to use the simulators in sessions free of charge.
A tip for families
Agree a family safe word today: a word only your family knows, to ask for if someone calls or texts claiming to be a relative in trouble. A cloned voice won't know it. How to set one up.
Get the free Scam-Stopper Kit
Printable wallet cards, a family safe-word sheet, easy AI prompts and a trusted-numbers sheet for beside the phone. Free when you join the Plainspoken Tech letter.