One Habit That Always Works

Over-the-shoulder shot of a woman at her desk typing into the address bar of a fresh, empty browser window on a laptop, her phone placed face-down to the side.

When a message arrives asking you to click a link, call a number, or pay something, close it. Then open a fresh browser and go directly to the real organization's website. Look up their number from there, or from a card or bill you already have. Make contact that way. This works for every version of the same trick: a text about a package, an email about your bank account, a call about a crypto wallet alert. The link in the message, the number in the email, the QR code in the text: all of them could lead somewhere the sender controls. This is the U in PAUSE. Use official channels. Find them yourself.

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