Scam, real, or alarm bells?
Take the free 2-minute check. Eight short cases — a text, a call, a knock at the door, a letter. For each one you decide: scam, real, or alarm bells? If someone asks for money or data, or uses pressure, Alarm bells is a good first thought. Then you see clues, cautious questions, and next steps.
No account needed for this check. After each answer you will see clues, questions and next steps, and whether the case is a real-life case or is based on real-life cases. This is practice — it cannot promise to prevent fraud.
Today’s Trickle
A couple of minutes. Spot the jump before Dr Fallacy does.
Play today’s TrickleThe rest of the app
CritThinker is a critical-thinking learning app. The scam check is the front door. The same thinking is practised in the rest of what’s here.
Train
Short exercises in spotting weak arguments and the tricks that ride on them.
Thinkers
Ideas from people who thought carefully, in plain words, with something you can try.
Philosophers
A library of philosophers, explained simply. Marcus Aurelius is free to read.
About
How claims are sourced, and how a membership keeps your practice with you.
The free profile is Marcus Aurelius.
How it works
-
Try the free check
Eight cases: scam, real, or alarm bells, with clues, cautious questions and next steps after each one. No sign-up.
-
Learn the move
Urgency, fake authority, a payment method that doesn’t fit — named in plain words.
-
Come back tomorrow
Today’s Trickle, or a short training card. The library is here when you want more depth.
Every claim is cited. Signed-in progress follows the membership. Practising these skills does not guarantee you will avoid fraud.
In 2025, authorised push payment scams in the UK — where someone is talked into sending the money — came to £576.4 million. Source: UK Finance, Annual Fraud Report 2026.