Avoiding ScamsA Clear Guide

How scams work and how to stop them, in plain English for the UK, with a red-flag checklist.

42 pages A4 · phone edition 115 pages · full guide coming soon

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About this guide

Scams are not a test of how clever you are. They are a business, run by organised criminals who are good at catching people at a busy, worried or hopeful moment. Avoiding Scams explains, in plain English, how scams work, the main types doing the rounds in the UK, and the simple habits that stop almost all of them.

More about this guide

It opens with an “In a hurry?” page for people who think something is happening right now, such as calling your bank on 159 or forwarding scam texts to 7726. Part one covers the four pressure tricks every scam uses and a red-flag checklist.

Part two goes through the main types, each with how it works, real UK figures where they exist and how to protect yourself: phishing emails, scam texts, “safe account” calls, “Hi Mum” messages, fake police, banks, HMRC and DWP, romance, investment and crypto, recovery scams, online shopping, tickets and holidays, car buying, doorstep crime, rentals, jobs, money mules, pensions, AI voice cloning, QR codes, and scams aimed at older and younger people.

Part three covers protecting your accounts, a step-by-step plan if you have been scammed (including how reporting works in Scotland), getting your money back and looking after yourself. It ends with a spot-the-scam quiz, a small business section, a checklist and a printable quick-reference card. Figures come from named sources, checked in October 2026.

What’s inside