Frequent questions

By what it asks for, not by the name it shows — that can be faked. We are never going to ask you for a password, a PIN or an SMS code. We are never going to rush you. And we are never going to tell you your SIM expires today. When in doubt, do not open the link: message us yourself on WhatsApp and we will check.

Hang up. The number shown on a call can be faked, so seeing ours proves nothing. Then ring us yourself on the number you already know. Nothing bad happens to you for hanging up on somebody who did turn out to be real.

It is somebody trying to move your number onto another SIM so they get your messages and codes. The sign is this: your line dies suddenly, does not come back, and you start getting alerts about accounts you have not touched. Not every loss of signal is this — but that combination is.

Call us now, from another phone, and we will block the line. Meanwhile, change the passwords for e-mail and online banking. Fast beats perfect: cut the line first, we will sort the rest afterwards.

First lock it from the manufacturer's account if you can. Then message us to protect the line. And bear in mind that blocking the SIM does not block the handset: they are two different things and both need doing. If it was stolen, report it — the IMEI is needed for that.

Do not install it. We are not going to ask you for that out of the blue. It is one of the commonest ways somebody ends up in control of your mobile and your accounts.

For checking the weather, yes. For getting into your bank, better to use your mobile data. And be wary of an open network named after somewhere well known: that is easy to imitate.

112, free from any phone, for police, ambulance and fire. It works across the whole European Union.

Do not rely on it alone. In an emergency, if there is mobile signal the phone usually prefers it, and your location travels better that way. If you live somewhere with poor coverage, tell us: that is exactly the case worth thinking about in advance.

Phones and networks offer things like live captions, real-time text and hearing-aid compatibility, and it depends on the model and the country. Tell us what you need and we will look at it with you, without rushing.