One by one
The 8 reflexes
Apps change their look every six months. The traps, though, have looked the same for ten years. Here are the 8 phrases that run through every skill on the site: each exercise works on two or three of them, and over time they come to mind without even thinking.
I stop before I click
Urgency is the sign of a trap. A message that counts down the hours is trying to stop you from thinking. Putting your phone down for two minutes costs nothing, and it is almost always enough.
The skills that practice it
- Buy online safely
- Search effectively and pick a result
- Choose who sees what I post
- Clear your browsing history
- Send a photo by messaging
- Free up space on your phone
- Close an old account
- Installing and uninstalling an app
- Attaching a photo or a document
- The single sign-on button for public services
- A code received by text message is never given away
- Public Wi-Fi: what to do there, and what to leave for later
- Cookies and the "reject all" button
- Paying a bill online
- Photographing a document with your phone
- Booking a medical appointment online
- Recognizing a fraudulent email
- Recognizing a trap text message
- Recognizing a faked photo or video
- Setting what your phone shares about your location
- Joining a family video call
- Filling out an administrative form
- Spotting a fake online shop
- Back up your photos
- Unsubscribe from a newsletter
- Track a parcel and spot fake tracking
- Uploading a supporting document
- Finding a route on public transit
- Checking a payment page
I look at WHO is speaking
A displayed name is just text, so it can be copied. What matters is the exact address of the sender, or their phone number. A delivery announced from an unknown mobile number is not a delivery.
The skills that practice it
- Block and report
- Send a first email
- Send a photo by messaging
- The call from the fake bank advisor
- Recognizing a fraudulent email
- Recognizing a trap text message
- Recognizing a faked photo or video
- Joining a family video call
- Reply or forward, the difference
- Find an email you received
- Track a parcel and spot fake tracking
A code I receive is never given to anyone
A one time code received by text message proves that it is really you. No advisor, no delivery driver, no service will ever ask for it. Giving it away opens the door in your place.
One account, one door: every door has its own key
A password reused everywhere turns one leak into a break in everywhere. A long passphrase for each important account, written down somewhere safe, holds up better than a complicated password used again and again.
I go through the official door
The address typed in by hand, the app installed from the official store, the phone number printed on the back of your card. Never the link someone hands you, even when it looks right.
The skills that practice it
- Block and report
- Search effectively and pick a result
- Choose who sees what I post
- Create an email address
- Installing and uninstalling an app
- The call from the fake bank advisor
- The single sign-on button for public services
- A code received by text message is never given away
- Public Wi-Fi: what to do there, and what to leave for later
- My account has been hacked: the actions that save the day
- Paying a bill online
- Booking a medical appointment online
- Recognizing a trap text message
- Setting what your phone shares about your location
- Joining a family video call
- Spotting a fake online shop
- Find a downloaded certificate
- Track a parcel and spot fake tracking
- Following an online application
- Finding a route on public transit
- Checking a payment page
I make a copy of what matters
Photos, documents, contacts: anything that exists in only one place can disappear along with the device. A copy somewhere else turns a breakdown into a minor inconvenience.
The skills that practice it
- Buy online safely
- Block and report
- Create an email address
- Send a first email
- Free up space on your phone
- Close an old account
- Attaching a photo or a document
- Paying a bill online
- Photographing a document with your phone
- Booking a medical appointment online
- Filling out an administrative form
- Reply or forward, the difference
- Find an email you received
- Find a downloaded certificate
- Back up your photos
- Track a parcel and spot fake tracking
- Following an online application
- Uploading a supporting document
- A different password for each account
The padlock is not enough: I read the address
The little padlock icon means the connection is encrypted, not that the site is honest. A scam site has one too. The name of the site sits just before the first forward slash: that is where to look.
No one serious ever rushes me
No threats, no countdown, no secret to keep. And asking for help is a reflex, not a failure: saying it out loud to someone makes most scams fall apart.
The skills that practice it
- Buy online safely
- Block and report
- Create a strong password and remember it
- The call from the fake bank advisor
- A code received by text message is never given away
- Cookies and the "reject all" button
- My account has been hacked: the actions that save the day
- Recognizing a fraudulent email
- Recognizing a trap text message
- Recognizing a faked photo or video
- Spotting a fake online shop
- Unsubscribe from a newsletter
- Following an online application
- A different password for each account
Why phrases, not rules
A technical rule ages fast: a button's name changes, a menu moves, an app disappears. A phrase, on the other hand, stays useful even when the screen no longer looks like anything familiar.
These eight phrases are written in the first person, in the present tense, and they're deliberately short: they need to fit in your head at the moment someone is pressuring you. That's when they matter most.