Scam-proof Your Family: how the scams work, how to check a call, and what to do in the first hour
For anyone who answers the phone, pays by bank transfer or worries about a parent who lives alone. Five chapters explain how today’s scams actually work, how a cloned voice or a deepfake advert is used and how to check an urgent request, how to lock down your email, bank and phone accounts, what to do in the first hour after a scam and how the bank-transfer reimbursement rules work, and how to protect an older relative at the door, on the landline and in the post. Every chapter ends with a checklist and a who-to-contact table, with the numbers for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- 69 A4 pages in 5 chapters: how today’s scams work, AI voice clones and deepfakes, protecting your accounts, the first hour after a scam, and protecting older relatives.
- Where the four nations differ, it says so: Report Fraud for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, Police Scotland on 101, when to ask the PSNI to attend, and powers of attorney in each nation.
- Every claim traces to a named source: Report Fraud, the National Cyber Security Centre, the FCA, the Payment Systems Regulator, Ofcom and others, listed at the end of each chapter and checked November 2026.
- Instant PDF download, read on any device or print it; each chapter ends with a checklist and a who-to-contact table.
Secure card payment by Stripe. It downloads the moment you pay, so by buying you ask for it straight away and there’s no 14-day cancellation. Terms of sale.
For personal and household use. Buying for an organisation, tenants or staff? Ask about a licence.
Also in The Family Pack, with 5 more handbooks and files: £29.99 for all 6.
When you’d reach for it
The evening a text from a new number says ‘Hi Mum, I’ve lost my phone’. The call from someone who knows your name and your bank and wants you to move money to a safe account. The moment, ten minutes after pressing Send, when you realise. And the Sunday you want to talk to a parent about the doorstep caller without lecturing them. Each has its own chapter, written to be read in that moment, in order, with the numbers to hand.
What it does that a web search can’t
The official advice is scattered across dozens of pages, some written for England only, and the rules changed in 2024 and 2025: Report Fraud replaced Action Fraud, the bank-transfer reimbursement rules came in, and the FCA launched Firm Checker. This book puts it in one place, in order, and says where the sources disagree, where two sets of figures measure different things, and which rules are under review. It also tells you when you don’t need it.
Written for the whole family
Chapter 2 sets up a family safe phrase, agreed by voice and never shared digitally, as Report Fraud and Police Scotland recommend. Chapter 5 is for the son, daughter or neighbour who notices first: courier fraud, the line-hold trick, call blockers and the Telephone Preference Service, the utility password scheme, what a bank can put on an account, and how to talk about it without embarrassing anyone. The habit it asks of everyone is the same: hang up and ring back on a number you already hold.
What you’ll be able to do
- Recognise the pressure tactics every scam runs on, and treat ‘act now’ as the warning itself
- Check an urgent call from a relative, your bank or the police by hanging up and ringing back on a number you already hold
- Agree a family safe phrase and know the rule when a caller can’t give it
- Give your email its own three-random-words password, turn on 2-step verification and use a passkey where one is offered
- Work through the first hour after a scam in order: bank first, stop contact, report, lock down accounts, keep a record
- Know what the bank-transfer reimbursement rules cover, the 13-month reporting window and the Ombudsman route if the bank says no, as the rules stood in November 2026
Look inside
The cover, the start of chapter 1 and the contents. The free sample has the first chapter in full.
What’s inside
5 chapters across 69 pages. Read it straight through, or go to the chapter you need.
A relative who already hangs up on cold callers, keeps the chain on and rings you when something feels off has most of this covered, and someone who has run their own money for sixty years does not need it taken over. What every family needs is a few shared habits: nobody hands cards or cash to anyone who calls, nobody keeps a money secret, and everyone can say “I’ll ring you back” without feeling rude.
When not to buy this
If you already ring your bank back on the number on your card, never pay by bank transfer to someone you have not met, and keep your email behind its own password and 2-step verification, you have most of this covered, and the official guidance it draws on, from GOV.UK, the National Cyber Security Centre, Report Fraud and Take Five, is free. Buy it only if you want that guidance in one place, in order, with the four-nation differences marked. It is not legal or financial advice, and it does not replace your bank’s or the police’s instructions if you are in the middle of a scam now.
Questions
Does it cover the ‘Hi Mum’ texts and AI voice-clone calls?+
Yes. Chapter 2 explains how a voice-clone call and the older text version work, why a message from a saved number can still be a scam, the call-back routine, and how to set up a family safe phrase as Report Fraud and Police Scotland recommend. It is honest that AI-enabled scams are still a small slice of reported fraud, and that the call-back comes first.
Will it help me get money back after a scam?+
It explains the rules, not an outcome. Chapter 3 sets out the bank-transfer reimbursement rules in force since October 2024 as they stood in November 2026: what is covered and what is not, the claim limit, the reporting window, the ‘gross negligence’ bar and the Financial Ombudsman route. Chapter 4 walks through the first hour. Whether a claim succeeds depends on the case, and the book says so.
Is it for me or for my parents?+
Both. Chapters 1 to 4 are for anyone with a phone and a bank account. Chapter 5 is written for the relative or neighbour who notices first: courier fraud, the line-hold trick, doorstep traders, the Telephone Preference Service and what it will not do, the utility password scheme, what a bank can put on an account, powers of attorney in each nation, and how to raise it without embarrassing anyone.
What exactly do I get?+
A PDF ebook, A4, 69 pages, that you download straight after paying, to read on any phone, tablet or computer or to print. It isn't a printed book and nothing is posted. We also email you a link to your downloads.
Does it work in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?+
Yes. Where the rules or services differ between the four nations, the file says so and points to the right official service for each.
Will it go out of date?+
It names the official service to check rather than printing fees or amounts that change. If we update the file, your download link gives you the current version.
Can I get a refund?+
Because it downloads the moment you pay, the 14-day cancellation period doesn’t apply to digital files you’ve asked to receive straight away. If a file won’t open or something is wrong with it, email us and we’ll sort it out.
Secure card payment by Stripe. It downloads the moment you pay, so by buying you ask for it straight away and there’s no 14-day cancellation. Terms of sale.
For personal and household use. Buying for an organisation, tenants or staff? Ask about a licence.
Scam-proof Your Family is general information. It is not legal, financial or medical advice. Written by Tom Calder for PreparedBritain, an independent publisher not affiliated with HM Government.
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