Operation Arlene helps non-technical adults, and the family members helping them, recognize scams, protect their accounts, and feel less alone online.
“For my grandmother, who almost fell for it more than once.”
Arlene was my grandmother. She raised three kids on her own, cared for a nice property, and could spot a forged check from across the counter in 1962. In her later years the same instincts that had kept her safe for seventy-some winters could no longer keep up with what was showing up in her inbox, on her phone, on her television. She was not careless. She was not naïve. She was being asked to recognize a kind of trickery she had simply never been shown.
Operation Arlene is the place I wish she'd had. Plain-English lessons. Real scams, written up like a careful newspaper. A short check that points you to what matters for you, not for somebody else. And a person on the other end who answers when you write.
This is that wish, made into a place.
Answer a few questions about what you do online. We will send you straight to the lessons that matter most for you.
Start the checkReal scams, named and explained. Look something up, or tell us about one you have seen.
Open the libraryShort, plain-English answers to the questions people write in with most.
Browse lessonsA caller claiming to be from your power, gas, or water company says your service will be cut off within the hour unless you pay immediately.
2 weeks agoA physical letter or check arrives saying you've won a sweepstakes, and all you have to do is pay a processing fee or taxes upfront.
2 weeks agoA remote job offer arrives unsolicited, the interview is by text only, and they need your bank account details to set up payroll before you have started.
2 weeks agoA friend (or a stranger) sends you a direct message with a link and 'is this you?' or 'OMG I can't believe you did this lol.'
2 weeks agoMy grandmother could spot a bad cheque in 1962. The internet just changed the room.
Michael Pilsner · founderYou do not have to be the only line of defense. Take a 2-minute version of the safety check on their behalf. We will send you a personal list of what to share with them, and a link you can text them right now.
Eight chapters, written the way I write a letter. We take the most common ways people get caught online, walk through how each one works, and show you what to look for the next time it shows up.
Signed by Michael. No spam. Unsubscribe whenever.
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