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The plain-English scam ebook for UK families

Know exactly what to do when a scam text, call or email lands.

ScamProof Your Family gives you the simple checks, real UK numbers and step-by-step checklists to protect your parents, your partner and your kids, before the money's gone. Written by a cyber security professional with 20+ years in the field.

  • Spot the four tricks almost every scam relies on
  • Example scams taken apart line by line
  • What to do in the first hour, including 159 and 7726
  • Instant PDF download
  • 138 pages, 10 chapters
  • Print-ready checklists
Ebook cover: ScamProof Your Family by Tom Wrenford
An older woman on the phone looking worried

The big idea

Four levers. Three words. Almost every scam.

There are thousands of scam stories, and the criminals invent new ones every week. Underneath, nearly all of them pull the same four levers. Learn the shape once and you can spot a scam even when the story is brand new. I know the theory inside out and I still have to stop myself rushing when a message sounds urgent, so this isn't about being clever. It's about having a routine.

  1. They contacted youA genuine problem usually starts with you. A scam starts with them.
  2. They want it done now"Your account will be closed today." Real organisations rarely need you to act in ten minutes.
  3. They want it kept quietGenuine police and bank staff will never ask you to lie to other bank staff.
  4. They want something unusualA code, a transfer to a "safe account", gift cards, cash for a courier, or control of your computer.

Spot even one lever, and use three words:

StopDon't click, pay, reply or share a code.
CheckLook from the outside, using the real app or website.
CallRing a number you found yourself, or someone you trust.

That's it. Short enough to remember when your heart is racing, which is rather the point.

That's one page of the ebook. The rest shows you how to use it for texts, calls, emails and hacked accounts.

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Example scams, taken apart

What they look like, and the tells that give them away

These are made up for this site, in the same style as the examples in the ebook. The numbers are Ofcom's drama numbers and the web addresses end in .example, so none of them are real. Each red flag is numbered on the message and explained underneath.

The fake delivery text

EXAMPLE SCAM
07700 900461 1Text message · Today 08:12

Your parcel could not be delivered today. 2 To rearrange, pay the £1.45 redelivery fee: parcel-redelivery.example/gb 3 Unpaid parcels are returned to sender after 23:59 today. 4

  1. A number you don't know. Not the courier, not the shop.
  2. A problem you didn't know about. Out of the blue, so they started it.
  3. A tiny fee and an odd link. The fee is small on purpose. They want your card details.
  4. A deadline. Act now, before you think.

What to do: don't tap it. Use the retailer's app or your order email to track the parcel, forward the text to 7726 for free, then delete it.

The "Hi Mum" message

EXAMPLE SCAM
+44 7700 900218 1Not in your contacts

Hi Mum, I dropped my phone down the toilet. This is my new number, can you save it?

Oh no! Are you OK? I'll give you a ring

Can't talk, the mic on this one is broken 2

I need to pay a bill today and my banking won't work on the new phone. Can you send £780 to my friend's account? Sort code 00-00-00, account 12345678. I'll pay you back Friday 3

Please don't tell Dad, he'll only worry 4

  1. A new, unknown number. Anyone can claim to be your child.
  2. An excuse not to talk. A voice would give the game away.
  3. Urgent money to a stranger's account. Not an account in their name.
  4. Keep it quiet. Secrets about money are a red flag.

What to do: don't send money. Call your child on their old, saved number, or ask for the family code word. Report and block the number in the app.

Seen enough to want the full ebook on your phone, tablet or laptop?

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What you get

Not just advice. A plan you can follow.

Chapters 2 and 3

Recognise it

The four levers, then 14 common UK scams: parcel texts, bank calls, "Hi Mum" messages, cloned voices and more, each with the tell that gives it away.

Chapter 4

Lock it down

The Weekend Setup: 12 steps for phones, email and banking. Most people finish it in about an hour per person, so it fits into a Sunday visit with a cup of tea.

Chapter 5

Talk about it

How to raise scams with a parent or partner without causing offence, with opening lines you can put in your own words.

Chapters 7 and 8

Act in the first hour

A plan in order for bank transfers, card payments, shared codes, remote access and hacked email or social media accounts.

Chapter 9

Protect the kids

A full chapter on games, accounts and the scams aimed at children and teens, with a kids' setup checklist.

Chapters 6 and 10, Appendices A to E

Keep it up

The Fridge Rules, a ten-minute monthly check, print-ready checklists, a family scam card, who to contact and a jargon buster.

A mug of tea, biscuits and printed Stop, Check, Call checklists on a kitchen table

Printable checklists

The checklists are inside the ebook, each on its own page so you can print it out whole and keep it by the phone or in a drawer.

Buying it for a parent? That's who a lot of copies are for. Print the checklists, take them round with a packet of biscuits, and do the Weekend Setup together over a cup of tea. In my experience the biscuits do half the work.

Who it's for

Written for people in the UK who look out for each other

You do not need any technical knowledge. If you can open the Settings app on a phone, you can do everything in it.

  • Adult sons and daughters who have become the unofficial IT helpdesk for their parents (unpaid, on call at weekends, regularly asked why the printer has gone funny)
  • Anyone who has just had a near miss, or knows someone who has been caught
  • Grandparents who want to feel more confident with their phone and online banking
  • Parents and grandparents of children who game, chat and spend money online

The author

Written by someone who does this for a living

Tom Wrenford has spent more than 20 years in IT and cyber security, including leading security for organisations worth billions of pounds. The ScamProof ebooks take the protection a large company gets and explain it in plain English for everyone else.

More about the author

Ebook cover: ScamProof Your Family by Tom Wrenford

ScamProof Your Family

Plain English, no jargon, written to be used when your heart is racing.

  • Instant PDF download
  • 138 pages, 10 chapters, 5 appendices
  • UK edition, checked October 2026
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Questions

Is this just for older people?

No. Scams catch people of every age. It's written for the whole household: adult children helping their parents, grandparents, and parents of children who game online. Chapter 9 is all about kids and teens.

Do I need to be technical?

No. If you can open the Settings app on a phone, you can do everything in it. I'd also recommend using the search bar in Settings rather than hunting through menus. Nobody who works in IT can keep up with where the settings have moved to this month either, me included.

What if I've already been scammed?

Go straight to Chapter 7, The First Hour. If you've lost money, call your bank first on 159 or the number on the back of your card.

Is the advice specific to the UK?

Yes. Every number, organisation and rule is a UK one: 159 for your bank, 7726 for scam texts, Report Fraud, Police Scotland, the Financial Ombudsman Service and the UK reimbursement rules for bank transfer scams.

Is it up to date?

I checked the contacts and links in October 2026, including Report Fraud, which replaced Action Fraud on 4 December 2025 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, you report to Police Scotland on 101.

What format is it?

A PDF ebook. The links are clickable, the full web addresses are in Appendix D so you can type them from a printed copy, and each checklist sheet is designed to print on its own pages.

Is there a version for businesses?

Yes, ScamProof Your Business is out now, for sole traders and small firms. You can see what it covers on the Business ebook page.

Ebook cover: ScamProof Your Business by Tom Wrenford

Also from ScamProof

Running a small firm? ScamProof Your Business is out now.

Phishing, invoice fraud and fake "boss" requests, for sole traders and small firms without an IT department. Includes a plain guide to Cyber Essentials and the free help most small businesses have never heard of.

£14.99, instant PDF

See the Business ebook

Or get both ebooks for £17.99 (save £4.99)

Free sample

Read the first chapter free

Pop your email in and I'll send you Chapter 1 of ScamProof Your Family as a PDF. That way you can see if my way of explaining things suits you before you buy it.

Chapter 1 is “Before you start: how to use this guide”. It covers who the ebook is for and the three things I'd read first if you're short on time.

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