Personal cybersecurity, for everyday people
Practical steps that keep criminals out of your email, phone, bank and investment accounts, explained without jargon or fear.
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These guides are planned and will be published as they are written and checked.
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Breach and scam alerts
Five alerts so far, each with what happened, what to do and its sources. Go to the alerts page Read nowAccount protection scores
Which protections each provider offers, with a source and date for every entry. Scorecards are not published yet. Read how we scoreArticles
Four signs it's a scam, and what to do next
The FTC's four signs of a money scam: an imposter, a problem or prize, pressure to act now and an odd way to pay, plus what to do next. Classroom version and Kitchen Table Talk. Read the articleWhat to tell a chatbot, and what to keep to yourself
What happens to your chats, what never belongs in a chat box, and the settings to check tonight. Read the articleWould you tell a stranger? Deciding what's safe to type into a chatbot
Sort what's safe to type into a chatbot with the postcard rule, then find the training and memory settings together. Classroom version and Kitchen Table Talk. Open the lessonA familiar voice isn't proof anymore. A family code word is.
How AI voice cloning powers family-emergency and boss scams, and how a code word and a call-back stop them. Includes a 10-minute lesson. Read the articleThe family safe signal: how to say "come get me" without saying it
A secret, ordinary-sounding phrase that means come get me: choosing one, responding, sharing location, and when to call 911. Includes a 10-minute lesson. Read the articleGuaranteed returns are a warning label
The phrases that should stop you, fake trading platforms and the long con, risky ways to pay, and how to check a person or firm before you invest. Classroom version and Kitchen Table Talk. Open the lessonLatest alerts
FTC: callers posing as the FTC threaten to "deactivate" your phone number, then ask for a "security deposit"
Published Callers claiming to be the FTC threaten to deactivate your number, pass you to a fake police officer and demand a "security deposit." The FTC says it's a scam. Read the alertCitizens Bank: customer data accessed by an unauthorized third party
Reported Citizens Bank says an unauthorized third party accessed some data, including Social Security numbers. Its letter offers two years of free Equifax monitoring. Read the alertMLD Mortgage Inc. (The Money Store): mortgage loan files taken through a service provider's remote-management tool
Reported MLD Mortgage (The Money Store) says loan files were taken through a service provider's remote-management tool. Enroll in free IDX protection by Jan 15, 2027. Read the alertFBI warns scammers could exploit the 2026 midterm election, including with AI-generated impersonations
Published The FBI warns scammers could exploit the 2026 midterms with fake donation requests, merchandise that never ships, fake registration texts and AI impersonations. Read the alertFBI: scammers posing as police and government officials demand money, mostly by phone; some use AI to appear on video calls
Published Scammers posing as police and government officials threaten arrest and demand payment, mostly by phone. The FBI says some use AI to appear on video calls. Read the alertFirm security pages
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