A scam text
“URGENT: Your bank account is locked.”
A text says your bank account is locked and you must click a link within one hour.
Pause: the rush is the warning sign. Do not click any links, call any numbers in the message, or reply.
Step 1 · Pause
Stop, breathe, and decide what you want before you type.
Think before you type. What do I want? Is any of this private?
In every Ask & Answer™ guidebook
Stop before you act on an answer. Nothing an AI tool says needs to be used in the next minute.
What it means
Pause is the moment before you type and the moment before you act. You stop, take a breath, and ask yourself two questions: What do I want? Is any of this private?
If a message, a call or an answer makes you feel rushed, scared or excited, that feeling is your signal to slow down. Real problems can wait five minutes.
Why it matters
- Hurry is the scammer’s favourite tool. A pause takes that tool away.
- AI answers sound confident even when they are wrong. A pause gives you time to notice.
- Knowing what you want makes your question clearer, so the answer is more useful.
Pause, in everyday life
Three moments that come up every week: a scam text, a health question and a photo you want to share.
A health question
A question about a new medicine
Your doctor has started you on a new medicine and you have questions.
Pause: jot a few words on paper first about what is on your mind. Consider a temporary chat for health topics, so the conversation is not kept in your history.
A photo to share
A picture of a letter or a family photo
You want to show an AI tool a photo of a confusing letter.
Pause: look closely first. Does it show names, addresses, bank numbers, medical record numbers, or faces of people who did not agree? Cover or crop that part, or choose a different item.
Give It a Go AI SafeStep™ 1 · Pause
Try it now: Take a ten-second pause
Practise the pause before your next AI question. Press the button, breathe slowly, and answer the three questions while the timer runs.
- What do I want from this answer?
- Is any of this private?
- Does anything here really need to happen in the next minute?
Quick Quiz AI SafeStep™ 1 · Pause
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