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ShqipTen situations. One round.
Each situation is invented. Read it, choose what you would do next, and check your answer. Your first choice counts.
There is no timer. Take as long as you like.
The job that asks for a deposit
An unexpected chat message offers online work. You decide to hear more. Later, after completing a set of tasks, the recruiter sends another message.
Fictional messages. No real account, call or payment is involved.
Recruiter
We have remote work rating product images.1 Around 20 minutes a day. You could earn $120–$300 daily.2
Recruiter
Your tasks are complete. Your balance is now $486.3
Recruiter
Before you can withdraw, deposit 49 USDT to activate Level 24. You'll get the deposit back with your payout. Please finish today.5
Choose an answer first. There’s no rush.
Your answer
Safer step
Takeaway
Do not send a deposit to unlock supposed wages or earnings.
Opens the full challenge in a new tab.
Pay the deposit and request the withdrawal.
The balance on the screen is a claim. Sending a deposit does not establish that those earnings exist or can be withdrawn.
Ask for a contract before deciding.
Asking questions is sensible, but a document supplied by the same person does not independently verify the offer.
Stop the payment and check the offer through company contact details I find independently.
Pause the payment. If you investigate further, use a contact route you find independently.
Send a smaller amount first.
A smaller payment is still money at risk. It does not verify the offer.
The call about a “safe account”
A caller says they work for your bank. Your phone displays the bank's name. During the call, this message arrives.
Fictional messages. No real account, call or payment is involved.
Bank security4
We have detected suspicious access to your account. Move your savings to the secure holding account discussed on the phone.1 Use reference SAFE-4471. Do this today.3 Do not speak to branch staff while the investigation is ongoing.2
Choose an answer first. There’s no rush.
Your answer
Safer step
Takeaway
A request to move money into a “safe account” is a reason to stop and contact your bank independently.
Opens the full challenge in a new tab.
End the call, then contact the bank using its app or the number printed on my card.
Break contact and check through the bank's established channel. Do not transfer money on this caller's instructions.
Ask the caller to confirm more personal details.
Knowing personal information does not establish that someone represents your bank.
Transfer the money because the call and message appear to match.
Two messages from the same source do not provide independent confirmation.
The human check that asks you to run something
You follow a link to a document. Before it opens, a page displays these instructions.
Fictional messages. No real account, call or payment is involved.
Verify you are human
Open Windows Run using Windows + R.1 Paste using Ctrl + V, then press Enter.2
Verification reference: 88412. Complete this step to continue.3
Choose an answer first. There’s no rush.
Your answer
Safer step
Takeaway
Do not run a command to prove you are human.
Opens the full challenge in a new tab.
Follow the instructions to open the document.
The page is asking you to run something on your computer. A verification label does not make that action safe.
Repeat the instructions in another browser.
Changing browsers does not resolve the request to execute an unknown command.
Close the page and contact the person who sent the document through a channel I already trust.
Stop before running anything and check the request independently.
The job offer with a link to sign in
You have been applying for jobs online. An email arrives from a recruiter you do not recognise.
Fictional messages. No real account, call or payment is involved.
Talent team
Congratulations! You have been selected for a remote assistant role, no interview needed.1 To accept, sign in at hr-onboarding.example/start with your email address and email password.2 Then download and open the attached offer file.3 Add your bank card details so we can set up your first salary payment.4 This offer expires in 24 hours.5
Choose an answer first. There’s no rush.
Your answer
Safer step
Takeaway
Do not click links, open attachments or share passwords or card details from a job offer until you have checked the employer yourself.
Opens the full challenge in a new tab.
Follow the link and sign in to secure the job.
A sign-in page reached from an unexpected message can be a copy built to capture your password. A job offer does not make the link safe.
Open the attachment first to read the offer.
An attachment from a sender you have not verified can install malware. Opening it gives the sender what they want before you know who they are.
Reply and ask the recruiter whether the link is safe.
The sender cannot confirm their own link. Any reassurance comes from the same unverified source.
Leave the link and attachment alone, and check the role on the company website I find myself.
Check through a route you find yourself. A real employer will still have the role, or a way to reach the recruiter, there.
Just €1.80?
You’re waiting for an online order. This text arrives.
Fictional messages. No real account, call or payment is involved.
We couldn’t deliver your parcel today.
Pay €1.80 to arrange another delivery.
Please pay today to avoid your parcel being returned.
ParcelLine is a fictional delivery company.
Choose an answer first. There’s no rush.
Your answer
Safer step
Takeaway
Expecting a parcel doesn’t verify the text. Check your order another way.
Opens the full challenge in a new tab.
Pay the small fee so the parcel is not returned.
Paying a small amount can still put your details at risk.
Reply and ask which order the text is about.
The sender’s reply would not confirm who they are.
Check the tracking in my original order.
Expecting a parcel makes this message relevant. It does not tell you who sent it.
Pay if the page looks like the delivery company’s website.
A familiar design is not enough.
Paid. Can I collect?
You’re selling your old phone for €120. You agreed that the buyer would pay by bank transfer before collection.
You open your own banking app. The payment is not showing.
Fictional messages. No real account, call or payment is involved.
Payment sent! Here’s the screenshot.
Transfer sent
€120
Image supplied by the buyer
The courier is collecting in 20 minutes. Please have the phone ready.
Choose an answer first. There’s no rush.
Your answer
Safer step
Takeaway
A buyer’s payment message is not proof that you’ve been paid.
Opens the full challenge in a new tab.
Treat the screenshot as payment and hand over the phone.
The screenshot does not show what reached your account.
Wait until I can confirm payment in my account.
You are checking what reached your account, rather than relying on what the buyer sent you.
Get a payment reference, then hand over the phone.
A payment reference is another claim from the buyer, not confirmation that you received the money.
Release the phone if the buyer confirms again at collection.
Another confirmation from the buyer would still be the buyer’s claim.
It sounds like them
A voice message arrives from a number you don’t recognise. It sounds like someone close to you.
Fictional messages. No real account, call or payment is involved.
It’s me. My phone’s broken, so I’m using someone else’s.
I need €300 urgently. Please send it to the account I’m about to text you.
I can’t talk now. Please don’t tell anyone yet.
Voice-message transcript. Audio is not needed to complete this challenge.
Choose an answer first. There’s no rush.
Your answer
Safer step
Takeaway
Recognising a voice is not the same as confirming a request.
Opens the full challenge in a new tab.
Send the money because I recognise the voice.
A familiar voice is not enough on its own.
Send a small amount to test the payment.
A test payment checks the transfer, not the person.
Ask for their birthday before sending anything.
A birthday is not a reliable identity check.
Call a saved contact to check the request.
You are checking the request, not judging how much you care about the person.
Close it—or call?
You’re reading a website when this message appears inside your browser.
Fictional messages. No real account, call or payment is involved.
SECURITY WARNING
A virus has been detected on your computer.
Do not close this page.
Call our support team now for help.
Example support number — not callable
Practice example — not a warning about your device.
Choose an answer first. There’s no rush.
Your answer
Safer step
Takeaway
Check your computer without following the warning’s instructions.
Opens the full challenge in a new tab.
Leave the page and check through my usual security app.
The warning cannot verify itself. Your existing security app is a separate route.
Use the support contact shown in the warning.
The warning may be directing you to a scammer.
Try the warning’s Scan now button before deciding.
The warning’s own button is not an independent check.
Trust the support number if a search result looks official.
Finding the number online does not verify it.
Park. Scan. Pay?
You’ve parked your car. A sticker on the parking sign says you can pay by scanning a code.
You scan it. A page opens asking for your vehicle registration and card details. You have not entered anything.
Fictional messages. No real account, call or payment is involved.
PAY FOR PARKING
Scan to pay.
Illustration only — this code cannot be scanned.
Choose an answer first. There’s no rush.
Your answer
Safer step
Takeaway
Treat a QR code like a link: check where it leads before paying.
Opens the full challenge in a new tab.
Pay because the code is on the parking sign.
Being on a sign does not make the code trustworthy.
Pay if the page shows the operator’s logo.
A logo does not confirm who runs the page.
Check the payment route through the venue or local authority.
A sticker’s location does not verify the page behind it.
Use it if another driver says they already paid.
Another driver may not have checked either.
A second chance?
You recently lost money in an online scam. Now someone you don’t know sends you a message.
Fictional messages. No real account, call or payment is involved.
We can recover the money you lost.
There’s a €75 processing fee to open your case.
We guarantee your money back. Reply today to get started.
Choose an answer first. There’s no rush.
Your answer
Safer step
Takeaway
Be wary of unexpected offers to recover money—especially if you must pay first.
Opens the full challenge in a new tab.
Pay because the fee is less than my loss.
A smaller payment can still become another loss.
Contact my payment provider before paying this stranger.
The hope of recovering one loss is not evidence that this sender can help.
Pay if the sender’s customer reviews look convincing.
Reviews are not proof that this person can help.
Pay after getting a written money-back guarantee.
A promise does not make the offer genuine.
Round complete
Your result
0 / 10
Ten out of ten. Careful reading held up every time.
Strong instincts. A few situations still caught you.
About half. These situations are built to be convincing.
These traps work on careful people too. Now you have seen how each one is built.
Exploring a situation is practice, not proof that you will spot every scam.
Situations that caught you
Each one opens the full challenge, with the trap explained step by step.
Share your result
The image shows your score and one trap from this round. It is made on this device and nothing is uploaded.
SaveSaveSaveSave · Spot the Trap
Safest choice every time. Could you match it?
Caught by: A job that makes you pay to get paid. Would it catch you?
Caught by: A fake bank call about a “safe account”. Would it catch you?
Caught by: A fake “I’m not a robot” check that runs code. Would it catch you?
Caught by: A job offer that steals your login. Would it catch you?
Caught by: A fake parcel fee sent by text. Would it catch you?
Caught by: A fake payment screenshot. Would it catch you?
Caught by: A cloned voice asking for urgent help. Would it catch you?
Caught by: A fake virus warning with a phone number. Would it catch you?
Caught by: A fake QR sticker on a payment sign. Would it catch you?
Caught by: A paid offer to recover lost money. Would it catch you?
Practice, not proof. No answers or personal details are on this card.
Spot the Trap result card
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