Staying safe online, without the jargon.

A text says your parcel couldn't be delivered and asks you to click a link or pay a small "redelivery fee". It looks like Royal Mail, Evri or DPD — but it's a copycat site after your card details. Real couriers don't ask for fees by text.

If you're expecting a parcel, check using the courier's own app or website — never the link in the text. Forward the scam text free to 7726.

A message from an unknown number: "Hi Mum, I've broken my phone — this is my new number. Can you help me pay an urgent bill?" It feels real because it plays on love and urgency. It's a scammer, not your child.

Before sending a penny, ring your son or daughter on their usual number. A real child won't mind. A scammer will vanish.

Someone rings claiming to be your bank's fraud team, the police or HMRC, and says you must move money or pay a tax bill right now. Your real bank will never rush you, and HMRC doesn't demand payment by phone. Hang up.

Then dial 159 to be put through safely to your real bank — and take a breath first, because scammers can stay on the line for a few seconds after you hang up on a landline.

A puppy, a games console or concert tickets at a too-good-to-be-true price — and the seller wants a bank transfer or vouchers before you've seen anything. Citizens Advice says unusual payment methods and prices that seem too good are the classic warning signs.

Pay by card or PayPal where you can — you get protections a bank transfer doesn't give you. Check reviews of the seller on other websites, not just their own.

Someone lovely you've met online — who always has a reason they can't meet — eventually asks for money for an emergency, flights or an "investment". The golden rule from the police: never send money to someone you've only ever met online, however real it feels.

If this has happened to you or someone you care about, it is never the victim's fault. Report it to Report Fraud, and talk to someone you trust.

A caller claims to be from Microsoft, BT or "your internet provider" and says your computer has a virus they can fix — if you let them connect remotely or pay a fee. Genuine companies don't cold-call about viruses. Just put the phone down.

Never let an unexpected caller take control of your computer, and never read out codes or passwords over the phone.

Send the dodgy email on to report@phishing.gov.uk and the National Cyber Security Centre will investigate it — and take down the websites it links to. Free, takes a minute, and you don't need to be sure it's a scam.

Then delete the email. Don't click any links in it first.

Forward suspicious texts to 7726 — it spells SPAM on an old phone keypad. It's free and goes straight to your mobile network, who can block the sender. If 7726 doesn't work, screenshot the text and email it to report@phishing.gov.uk.

On most phones: press and hold the message, choose forward, and send to 7726.

159 is the safe number that connects you straight to your own bank's fraud team — it can't be faked or spoofed. It works for the banks behind more than 99% of UK current accounts, including Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, Nationwide, NatWest, Santander and TSB.

Run by Stop Scams UK. Think of it like 101 for your bank: when in doubt, hang up, then call 159.

Report Fraud replaced Action Fraud in December 2025 as the UK's official place to report fraud and cyber crime. Report online any time at reportfraud.police.uk, or call 0300 123 2040 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm). Tell your bank straight away too.

The old actionfraud.police.uk address now takes you to the new service, and the phone number hasn't changed. Report Fraud will never call you out of the blue or ask for your bank details.

Seen a fake shop, a copycat bank page or a dodgy ad? Use the NCSC's quick online form and they'll check it out. You don't have to be certain — they'd rather hear about it than not.

Every report helps get scam sites removed from the internet faster.

Free, plain-English guides for parents and carers, organised by your child's age — from pre-schoolers to teenagers. Step-by-step instructions for setting up apps, consoles and parental controls safely.

Backed by the UK's biggest internet and tech companies. Start with the advice by age section.

If you're ever worried about the way someone is talking to your child online — grooming, pressure or anything that feels wrong — report it to the CEOP Safety Centre, run by the National Crime Agency's child protection police. Every report is read by a specialist child protection adviser.

If a child is in immediate danger, always call 999 first.

Age UK has gentle, jargon-free guides on staying safe online, spotting scams, safe online shopping and online banking. You can also call their free advice line on 0800 678 1602, open 8am to 7pm every single day of the year.

Their free printed guide "Staying safe online" is great to share with a neighbour or relative who isn't online much.

A National Trading Standards scheme that turns ordinary people into scam-spotters. The free online session takes as little as 20 minutes — or watch the 8-minute video — and you'll come away able to protect yourself and look out for others.

Perfect for community groups: you can also request an in-person session for a club or coffee morning.

Wiltshire Police — who police Highworth and the whole Borough of Swindon — run Wiltshire and Swindon Community Messaging. It's free, and sends you alerts about scams and crime in our area by email, text or voicemail, straight from your local neighbourhood policing team.

Sign up in a couple of minutes at wiltsmessaging.co.uk. No cost, no contract, and you can choose exactly what you hear about.