Miseby EDC1/6
The Scam Gym
Think you'd spot a scam? Prove it.
A workbook of realistic texts, calls, emails and adverts. Call each one Real or Scam, then turn the page for the answer.
Printable book (PDF)
The Scam Gym: Real or Scam? (UK Edition)
A six-week workout to spot fraud before it costs you: 112 realistic messages to call Real or Scam, with the answers over the page.
Think you'd spot a scam? Prove it.
- 112realistic messages to call Real or Scam
- 6weekly training zones, each with a Boss Round
- 2matched tests, so you can see your progress
For: Anyone in the UK with a phone, from 13 to 90, who wants to practise telling scams from real messages, on their own or as a family.
The short version
Swipe through it.
Miseby EDC2/6
Inside
Practice you can score
- 112 messages drawn like phone screens, about four in ten of them genuine
- Six weekly zones, from parcel texts to investment groups
- A Boss Round in every zone: a scam that unfolds over four messages
- A UK toolkit: the first hour, who to tell, getting your money back
Miseby EDC3/6
Score yourself
Right, and sure?
+2for the right call
+1for right and sure
−1for wrong and sure
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How it works
Look, decide, turn the page
- 1Read the message as if it just landed on your phone
- 2Tick Real or Scam, and circle how sure you are
- 3Turn the page for the red flags and the safe move
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Six zones
Where scams turn up
- Texts and deliveries
- Calls and voices
- Emails and account alerts
- Shopping and marketplaces
- Friends, family and feelings
- Money, jobs and investments
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Get the printable edition
Print a zone at a time, for everyone at home.
£7.99. The whole book as one PDF: 112 messages, two tests, six Boss Rounds and the UK toolkit. Prints on A4 or US Letter.
- Free sample pagesFree
- Printable PDF edition£7.99
In detail
What's inside
A training book. Most pages ask you to make a call, then show you how you did, and two matched tests show your progress in points. Nothing can promise you'll never be caught out, so it also covers what to do if you are.
Real and scam, mixed together
About four in ten messages are genuine, written the way careful companies and real friends write. You practise telling the two apart, and checking through your own route when you can't.
The seven buttons
Every scam presses one or two of seven buttons: distraction, authority, the crowd, a rule-bend, kindness, wanting something badly, and time pressure. They come from a 2011 study by Frank Stajano of the University of Cambridge and Paul Wilson, who co-presented BBC Three’s The Real Hustle. The book's coach, Coach Sleeves, is a retired stage magician who shows you where to look.
Made safe to practise on
Every message is invented: fictional companies, web addresses ending in .example that can’t lead anywhere, and phone numbers from the ranges Ofcom sets aside for TV and drama. Each of the 112 practice messages is labelled “Training · not a real message”.
The UK toolkit
What to do in the first hour, who to tell (Report Fraud in England, Wales and Northern Ireland; Police Scotland on 101; 7726 for scam texts; 159 for your bank), getting your money back, phone and bank settings, a family safe phrase, and how to talk to someone who’s being scammed. Every route was checked on the official sites on 28 October 2026.
Get it
Pick your edition.
Free sample pages
Free
How the gym works, Coach Sleeves, two reps with their answers, and the First Hour card.
- How the gym works and how scoring works
- Meet Coach Sleeves
- The Zone 1 briefing and two reps with their answers
- The First Hour card and Who to tell (UK)
- 11 pages, PDF
Printable PDF edition
£7.99
The whole book as one full-colour PDF, to print at home.
- 112 realistic messages, two to a page, answers over the page
- Two matched fitness tests and six weekly zones, each with a Boss Round
- The Seven Scam Muscles, scorecards and a certificate
- The UK toolkit: first hour, who to tell, money back, settings, safe phrase
- 158 pages, 8.5 × 11 in, full colour; prints on A4 with “Fit to page”
- Full refund on request for 14 days
How it was made
- Written The text was written by an AI system (Claude, Anthropic) from EDC’s brief, then checked by separate AI review passes and by script for accuracy, fairness and tone. Every reporting route and rule was checked on the official websites, and every figure at its original source, on 28 October 2026.
- Pictures Coach Sleeves and the page artwork were drawn by the same AI system as simple vector art. No real people, brands or logos.
- Printing 8.5 × 11 in pages in full colour. On A4, choose “Fit to page”: it prints at 97% and nothing is cut off.
- Copying Print pages as often as you like for your own household.
- Refund Full refund on request for 14 days.
Questions
Who is it for?
Anyone with a phone, from about 13 to 90. Many people buy it for a parent or a teenager, or to do together as a family.
Is it only for older people?
No. Younger adults lose money to scams too. The zones cover everything from parcel texts to marketplace selling and investment group chats.
Is it for the UK?
Yes. The reporting routes, refund rules and phone settings are for the UK, checked on 28 October 2026.
Will it print on A4?
Yes. The pages are 8.5 × 11 in. Choose “Fit to page” in your print settings: it prints at 97% on A4. It's full colour, so most people print one zone at a time.
Are the messages real scams?
No. Every message is made up for training, with invented companies and addresses that can't lead anywhere. They're built on the tricks scammers use, so they look real enough to practise on.
I think I've just been scammed. What do I do?
Call your bank straight away on the number on the back of your card, or on 159. Then report it to Report Fraud (reportfraud.police.uk), or to Police Scotland on 101 in Scotland. The book's First Hour card covers the rest, and it's in the free sample.
Is there a paperback?
A full-colour paperback is on its way to Amazon, and we’ll add the link here when it’s live. This shop sells the printable PDF.
What if it isn't right for us?
Email within 14 days of buying and you get a full refund on request.
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