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Plain-English guides on scams, passwords, devices, backups and keeping a small business safe online. Free to read and share. No sign-up, nothing to buy.

Guide library

72 free guides

Search or filter by topic. Every guide links to the official Australian sources it relies on.

01

Scams & fraud

Can a QR code be a scam? How to scan safely

Fake parking stickers, QR codes in emails and how to scan safely.

02

Scams & fraud

How investment and crypto scams hook people, and how to check before you invest

Fake trading platforms, celebrity ads and how to check a licence.

03

Scams & fraud

How to buy and sell safely on Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree

Fake PayID emails, courier tricks and safe ways to pay and get paid.

04

Scams & fraud

How to check an online shop is real before you buy

A five-minute check before buying from a store you haven’t used before.

05

Scams & fraud

How to help an older parent avoid scams (without taking over)

Respectful ways to protect parents and grandparents from scams.

06

Scams & fraud

How to recognise a romance scam, and how to help someone caught in one

How they build trust, the requests that give them away, and how to help.

07

Scams & fraud

How to spot a phishing email (and what to do with one)

The handful of checks that catch most phishing emails.

08

Scams & fraud

How to tell a real myGov or ATO message from a scam

The rules myGov and the ATO follow, and how scammers break them.

09

Scams & fraud

How to tell if a text from a delivery company, toll road or bank is real

Parcel, toll and bank texts: how to check them in under a minute.

10

Scams & fraud

Is this WhatsApp job offer or online “task” work a scam?

Easy online jobs that pay at first, then ask you to deposit money.

11

Scams & fraud

I’ve been scammed. What do I do right now?

The first hour and first week after a scam, step by step.

12

Scams & fraud

Silent call from an unknown number? What it means and what to do

Why calls go silent, when to worry and what to do next.

13

Scams & fraud

Someone asked me to install AnyDesk or TeamViewer. What now?

Fake tech support calls, remote access apps and what to do if you let them in.

14

Scams & fraud

“Hi Mum, I’ve lost my phone”: family emergency and AI voice scams

Texts and cloned voices pretending to be family, and the code word that stops them.

15

Scams & fraud

“This is your bank calling”: how to spot bank impersonation scams

Fake fraud teams, safe accounts and how to check a call really is your bank.

16

Accounts & passwords

A company told me my data was in a breach. What should I do?

What to do depending on what was exposed, and how to spot the follow-up scams.

17

Accounts & passwords

How to check whether your email or password has been leaked

Free tools that show if your details were exposed, and what to do next.

18

Accounts & passwords

How to get a hacked Instagram or Facebook account back

Official recovery routes, and how to stop it happening again.

19

Accounts & passwords

How to make your myGov account more secure

Passkeys, turning off your password and checking linked services.

20

Accounts & passwords

My email account has been hacked. What do I do?

Take your email back, find what the attacker changed and lock it down.

21

Accounts & passwords

Should I use a password manager? A plain-English guide to getting started

Why they’re safer, how to choose one and how to switch over gradually.

22

Accounts & passwords

Turn on two-step verification: which accounts first, and how

The accounts to protect first, and which method to choose.

23

Accounts & passwords

What is SIM swap fraud, and how do I protect my phone number?

How criminals hijack phone numbers, and how to protect yours.

24

Accounts & passwords

What is a passkey, and should I use one?

The password replacement that can’t be phished, explained simply.

25

Accounts & passwords

Why am I getting sign-in approval requests I didn’t ask for?

What unexpected MFA prompts mean and what to do straight away.

26

Phones, computers & home

Do I still need antivirus on Windows, Mac or my phone?

What’s already built in, and when paid security software is worth it.

27

Phones, computers & home

Do software updates really matter? How to keep everything up to date

Why updates matter and how to make them happen automatically.

28

Phones, computers & home

How to secure smart cameras, doorbells and other smart home devices

Passwords, updates and network settings for connected devices.

29

Phones, computers & home

How to secure your home Wi-Fi router in 20 minutes

Admin password, updates, encryption and a guest network, step by step.

30

Phones, computers & home

How to wipe a phone or laptop before selling or recycling it

Back up, sign out and wipe phones and computers properly.

31

Phones, computers & home

Is public Wi-Fi safe? Staying secure when you travel

The real risks of public Wi-Fi, and a travel checklist for devices.

32

Phones, computers & home

My phone has been lost or stolen. What do I do?

Locate, lock and wipe it, protect your accounts, then get set up again.

33

Phones, computers & home

Setting up a child's first phone safely

Child accounts, app approvals, limits and the under-16 social media rules.

34

Phones, computers & home

Setting up a new laptop for work: a security checklist

The first-hour checklist for a new Windows or Mac work laptop.

35

Phones, computers & home

Windows 10 is no longer supported. What should I do?

What it means, how Extended Security Updates work and your options.

36

Small business security

A one-page cyber incident plan for a small business

What to put on one page, and how to test it in an hour.

37

Small business security

Does my business have to report a data breach?

Who the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme applies to, and what to do.

38

Small business security

How to stop fake invoice and “change of bank details” scams

How payment redirection works, and the controls that stop it.

39

Small business security

How to teach staff to spot scams without boring them

Short regular reminders, real examples and a no-blame culture.

40

Small business security

Ransomware: what a small business should do before and after an attack

Prevention, the first hours of an attack, and the reporting rules.

41

Small business security

Should staff use personal phones and laptops for work?

The risks, the minimum rules, and keeping work data separate.

42

Small business security

The Essential Eight in plain English, for small businesses

Each of the eight strategies explained, and a sensible order to start.

43

Small business security

The IT and security steps for staff starting and leaving

Day-one access for new starters, and a clean exit when people leave.

44

Small business security

The security questions to ask a software supplier

Data, access, breaches, backups and exit, before you sign up.

45

Small business security

What to ask before choosing a managed IT provider

Questions about security, access, response times and leaving.

46

Small business security

What to check before buying cyber insurance for your small business

What it covers, what insurers will ask, and the exclusions to read.

47

Small business security

What to get in an IT handover when you change IT provider

Accounts, admin access, records and documents to collect before you switch.

48

Email, cloud & backup

Backups that actually work: a guide for small businesses and households

The 3-2-1 rule, why sync isn’t backup, and testing a restore.

49

Email, cloud & backup

How should a team share passwords safely?

Get passwords out of spreadsheets and into a team vault.

50

Email, cloud & backup

How to share files with clients securely

Safer ways to send sensitive documents than email attachments.

51

Email, cloud & backup

How to test that a backup can actually be restored

A step-by-step restore test, and what to record.

52

Email, cloud & backup

Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Standard or Premium: which plan does your business need?

Basic, Standard, Premium and Apps for business, side by side.

53

Email, cloud & backup

Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace: the security settings a small business should check

The settings that matter most, for both platforms.

54

Email, cloud & backup

Moving business email to Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace without losing anything

Plan, migrate, switch over and check, without losing email.

55

Email, cloud & backup

SPF, DKIM and DMARC explained: stop scammers sending email as your business

What these email records do, and how to set them up safely.

56

Email, cloud & backup

Why a hacker would create rules in your mailbox, and how to check

Hidden forwarding rules after an email compromise, and how to remove them.

57

Websites & online business

How small online stores can reduce fraud and chargebacks

Spot fraudulent orders, use the right payment settings and handle disputes.

58

Websites & online business

How to keep control of your business domain name (and avoid renewal scams)

Ownership, renewals, registrar security and fake renewal letters.

59

Websites & online business

How to keep customer data in your CRM safe and tidy

Access roles, exports, integrations and keeping only what you need.

60

Websites & online business

How to set up and verify a Google Business Profile

Verify your profile, get the details right and handle reviews.

61

Websites & online business

How to speed up a slow small business website

Find what slows your site down, and fix the big things first.

62

Websites & online business

My website has been hacked. What do I do?

Contain it, clean or restore it, lock it down, and clear Google warnings.

63

Websites & online business

The security checklist every small business website needs

Hosting, logins, updates, backups, forms and monitoring.

64

Websites & online business

What a small business website's privacy policy should cover

Who needs one, what to include and how to keep it accurate.

65

Office IT & networks

How to set up a small office network that keeps working

Internet plan, router, Wi-Fi, guest networks, cabling and a backup link.

66

Office IT & networks

Replacing an old office server: your options and a migration plan

Where files, apps, printing and logins can go, and how to move them.

67

Using AI safely

Are AI meeting recorders and note-takers safe to use?

Consent, recording laws, where transcripts go and checking accuracy.

68

Using AI safely

Getting started with AI in a small business: your first 30 days

A four-week plan: pick tasks, set up tools, set rules, measure.

69

Using AI safely

How to spot AI-generated images, video, voices and documents

Why looking harder isn’t enough, and the checks that still work.

70

Using AI safely

How to write a simple AI use policy for your team

A one-page structure covering tools, data, checking and disclosure.

71

Using AI safely

What to check before putting an AI chatbot on your website

Accuracy, promises, privacy, handover to humans and testing.

72

Using AI safely

What’s safe to put into ChatGPT, Copilot and other AI tools at work?

A traffic-light rule for what goes into AI tools, and how to check the answers.

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