# data[].attributes.body
A collection of downloadable eBooks in PDF format that can be viewed offline or printed.

# data[].attributes.body
Always check before sharing or posting

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Full Fact is the UK’s independent fact checking organisation

# data[].attributes.body
All of these guidance documents have been created by The National Cyber Security Centre.

# data[].attributes.body
A quick and easy reference for Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, WhatsApp & X (Twitter)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Social media guides - UK Safer Internet Centre

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Find out more about the safety features available on popular social networks.

# data[].attributes.body
Following on from our training session, I have created a set of useful links to all of the resources that we talked about and much more. I hope you find it useful.

# data[].attributes.body
Enter your password to check how long it would take to be hacked

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How Secure Is My Password? | Password Strength Checker

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Data breaches and identity theft are on the rise, and the cause is often compromised passwords. After stealing credentials, cybercriminals can use passwords to

# data[].attributes.body
A useful tool for generating random words for your passwords

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Welcome to the website. If you're here, you're likely looking to find random words. Random Word Generator is the perfect tool to help you do this. While this tool isn't a word creator, it is a word generator that will generate random words for a variety of activities or uses. Even better, it allows you to adjust the parameters of the random words to best fit your needs.

The first option the tool allows you to adjust is the number of random words to be generated. You can choose as many or as few as you'd like. You also have the option of choosing words that only begin with a certain letter, only end with a certain letter or only begin and end with certain letters. If you leave these blank, the randomized words that appear will be from the complete list.

Another option you have is choosing the number of syllables of the words or the word length of the randomized words. There are also ways to further refine these by choosing the "less than" or "greater than" options for both syllables and word length. Again, if you leave the space blank, the complete list of randomized words will be used.

You have the option of choosing the types of words you want to be displayed using the "Word Type" dropdown. The default is "All" which is a curated list of thousands of the more common English words. You can also opt to only display nouns, verbs, or adjectives from this curated list. If you want to choose from all the words out there, you can choose "Extended" which is a list that includes over half a million different English words.

If you're interested in random words in languages other than English, you can choose the "Non English" word type. Doing so will give you the option to generate words in ten different languages other than English. This includes Spanish words, Hindi words, Arabic words, German words, Russian words, Chinese words, Japanese words, Korean words. Latin words, or Italian words. You simply need to choose the language and then words from that language will randomly appear with each refresh of the page.

Once you have input all of your specifications, all you have to do is to press the Generate Random Words button, and a list of random words will appear. Below are some of the common ways people use this tool.

Games

This tool can be useful for games like Pictionary or MadLibs. Since the words are random, this helps to keep a game like Pictionary fair for all those playing. For a game like MadLibs, it can help kids improve their vocabulary by generating words they may not have ever considered to fill in the blank spaces. The tool has the potential to help with any word game that doesn't require a specific word.

Creative Writing

For those who write, this tool can be an excellent device to aid in the creative writing process. By using the tool to create 5 random words, a writer could then attempt to use all of them in a single paragraph. Longer random word lists could be incorporated into a short story. Since the writer doesn't know which words will appear, creativity must be used to successfully incorporate all the words. To make the challenge even more difficult, the writer could try to use the words in the exact order they were generated. In this way, writers can challenge their creativity to push their writing skills.

Spelling and Vocabulary

This tool can be an excellent way to improve vocabulary or practice for spelling bees. If an unfamiliar word appears, looking up the meaning will help students increase the number of words they know. Working with a partner, students can test each other on the spelling for the randomized words generated.

Name Inspiration

If you need to create a name for a product, an event, a band or for anything else, this tool can be quite helpful. As you consider names, generate a number of random words and see how they impact what you have already come up with. Inputting unique words you may not have considered can spark additional creativity to eventually help you produce the perfect name for your project. If you're looking for good character names or baby names, you might be interested in our random name generator.

The above list is not comprehensive. There are literally hundreds of ways the Random Word Generator can be used. Please feel free to share the way you use this tool, and we always welcome suggestions on how we can improve it to serve you better. We are also interested in new word generators you'd be interested in us creating. Many of the tools on this website came from ideas from people like you who contacted us. Please take the time to explore the other random generators we have available which can be found in the right sidebar of the page.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most common word?

What is a random word?

What is the most random word?

Is every word in English in your random word generator?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Generate random words, nouns, verbs, adjectives, letters, phrases, sentences or numbers to brainstorm and create new ideas at Random Word Generator.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
To prevent your passwords from being hacked by social engineering, brute force or dictionary attack method, and keep your online accounts safe, you should notice that:

1. Do not use the same password, security question and answer for multiple important accounts.

2. Use a password that has at least 16 characters, use at least one number, one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter and one special symbol.

3. Do not use the names of your families, friends or pets in your passwords. In some cases, for example, you have more than 100 bitcoins, then you should not let anyone except your mother know your passwords, even your father is not reliable enough.

4. Do not use postcodes, house numbers, phone numbers, birthdates, ID card numbers, social security numbers, and so on in your passwords.

5. Do not use any dictionary word in your passwords. Examples of strong passwords: ePYHc~dS*)8$+V-' , qzRtC{6rXN3N\RgL , zbfUMZPE6`FC%)sZ. Examples of weak passwords: qwert12345, Gbt3fC79ZmMEFUFJ, 1234567890, 987654321, nortonpassword.

6. Do not use two or more similar passwords which most of their characters are same, for example, ilovefreshflowersMac, ilovefreshflowersDropBox, since if one of these passwords is stolen, then it means that all of these passwords are stolen.

7. Do not use something that can be cloned( but you can't change ) as your passwords, such as your fingerprints.

8. Do not let your Web browsers( FireFox, Chrome, Safari, Opera, IE, Microsoft Edge ) to store your passwords, since all passwords saved in Web browsers can be revealed easily.

9. Do not log in to important accounts on the computers of others, or when connected to a public Wi-Fi hotspot, Tor, free VPN or web proxy.

10. Do not send sensitive information online via unencrypted( e.g. HTTP or FTP ) connections, because messages in these connections can be sniffed with very little effort. You should use encrypted connections such as HTTPS, SFTP, FTPS, SMTPS, IPSec whenever possible.

11. When travelling, you can encrypt your Internet connections before they leave your laptop, tablet, mobile phone or router. For example, you can set up a private VPN with protocols like WireGuard( or IKEv2, OpenVPN, SSTP, L2TP over IPSec ) on your own server( home computer, dedicated server or VPS ) and connect to it. Alternatively, you can set up an encrypted SSH tunnel between your computer and your own server and configure Chrome or FireFox to use socks proxy. Then even if somebody captures your data as it is transmitted between your device( e.g. laptop, iPhone, iPad ) and your server with a packet sniffer, they'll won't be able to steal your data and passwords from the encrypted streaming data.

12. How secure is my password? Perhaps you believe that your passwords are very strong, difficult to hack. But if a hacker has stolen your username and the MD5 hash value of your password from a company's server, and the rainbow table of the hacker contains this MD5 hash, then your password will be cracked quickly.

To check the strength of your passwords and know whether they're inside the popular rainbow tables, you can convert your passwords to MD5 hashes on a MD5 hash generator, then decrypt your passwords by submitting these hashes to an online MD5 decryption service. For instance, your password is "0123456789A", using the brute-force method, it may take a computer almost one year to crack your password, but if you decrypt it by submitting its MD5 hash( C8E7279CD035B23BB9C0F1F954DFF5B3 ) to a MD5 decryption website, how long will it take to crack it? You can perform the test yourself.

13. It's recommended to change your passwords every 10 weeks.

14. It's recommended that you remember a few master passwords, store other passwords in a plain text file and encrypt this file with 7-Zip, GPG or a disk encryption software such as BitLocker, or manage your passwords with a password management software.

15. Encrypt and backup your passwords to different locations, then if you lost access to your computer or account, you can retrieve your passwords back quickly.

16. Turn on 2-step authentication whenever possible.

17. Do not store your critical passwords in the cloud.

18. Access important websites( e.g. Paypal ) from bookmarks directly, otherwise please check its domain name carefully, it's a good idea to check the popularity of a website with Alexa toolbar to ensure that it's not a phishing site before entering your password.

19. Protect your computer with firewall and antivirus software, block all incoming connections and all unnecessary outgoing connections with the firewall. Download software from reputable sites only, and verify the MD5 / SHA1 / SHA256 checksum or GPG signature of the installation package whenever possible.

20. Keep the operating systems( e.g. Windows 7, Windows 10, Mac OS X, iOS, Linux ) and Web browsers( e.g. FireFox, Chrome, IE, Microsoft Edge ) of your devices( e.g. Windows PC, Mac PC, iPhone, iPad, Android tablet ) up-to-date by installing the latest security update.

21. If there are important files on your computer, and it can be accessed by others, check if there are hardware keyloggers( e.g. wireless keyboard sniffer ), software keyloggers and hidden cameras when you feel it's necessary.

22. If there are WIFI routers in your home, then it's possible to know the passwords you typed( in your neighbor's house ) by detecting the gestures of your fingers and hands, since the WIFI signal they received will change when you move your fingers and hands. You can use an on-screen keyboard to type your passwords in such cases, it would be more secure if this virtual keyboard( or soft keyboard ) changes layouts every time.

23. Lock your computer and mobile phone when you leave them.

24. Encrypt the entire hard drive with VeraCrypt, FileVault, LUKS or similar tools before putting important files on it, and destroy the hard drive of your old devices physically if it's necessary.

25. Access important websites in private or incognito mode, or use one Web browser to access important websites, use another one to access other sites. Or access unimportant websites and install new software inside a virtual machine created with VMware, VirtualBox or Parallels.

26. Use at least 3 different email addresses, use the first one to receive emails from important sites and Apps, such as Paypal and Amazon, use the second one to receive emails from unimportant sites and Apps, use the third one( from a different email provider, such as Outlook and GMail ) to receive your password-reset email when the first one( e.g. Yahoo Mail ) is hacked.

27. Use at least 2 differnet phone numbers, do NOT tell others the phone number which you use to receive text messages of the verification codes.

28. Do not click the link in an email or SMS message, do not reset your passwords by clicking them, except that you know these messages are not fake.

29. Do not tell your passwords to anybody in the email.

30. It's possible that one of the software or App you downloaded or updated has been modified by hackers, you can avoid this problem by not installing this software or App at the first time, except that it's published to fix security holes. You can use Web based apps instead, which are more secure and portable.

31. Be careful when using online paste tools and screen capture tools, do not let them to upload your passwords to the cloud.

32. If you're a webmaster, do not store the users passwords, security questions and answers as plain text in the database, you should store the salted ( SHA1, SHA256 or SHA512 )hash values of of these strings instead. It's recommended to generate a unique random salt string for each user. In addition, it's a good idea to log the user's device information( e.g. OS version, screen resolution, etc. ) and save the salted hash values of them, then when he/she try to login with the correct password but his/her device information does NOT match the previous saved one, let this user to verify his/her identity by entering another verification code sent via SMS or email.

33. If you are a software developer, you should publish the update package signed with a private key using GnuPG, and verify the signature of it with the public key published previously.

34. To keep your online business safe, you should register a domain name of your own, and set up an email account with this domain name, then you'll not lose your email account and all your contacts, since your can host your mail server anywhere, your email account can't be disabled by the email provider.

35. If an online shopping site only allows to make payment with credit cards, then you should use a virtual credit card instead.

36. Close your web browser when you leave your computer, otherwise the cookies can be intercepted with a small USB device easily, making it possible to bypass two-step verification and log into your account with stolen cookies on other computers.

37. Distrust and remove bad SSL certificates from your Web browser, otherwise you will NOT be able to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of the HTTPS connections which use these certificates.

38. Encrypt the entire system partition, otherwise please disable the pagefile and hibernation functions, since it's possible to find your important documents in the pagefile.sys and hiberfil.sys files.

39. To prevent brute force login attacks to your dedicated servers, VPS servers or cloud servers, you can install an intrusion detection and prevention software such as LFD( Login Failure Daemon ) or Fail2Ban.

40. If it's possible, use cloud based software instead of install the software on your local device, since there are more and more supply-chain attacks which will install malicious application or update on your device to steal your passwords and gain access to top secret data.

41. It's a good idea to generate the MD5 or SHA1 checksums of all files on your computer( with software like MD5Summer ) and save the result, then check the integrity of your files( and find trojan files or programs with backdoor injected ) every day by comparing their checksums with the result saved previously.

42. Each large company should implement and apply an Artificial Intelligence-based intrusion detection system( including network behavior anomaly detection tools ).

43. Allow only IP addresses that are whitelisted to connect to or log into the important servers and computers.

44. Do you know that you can hide one or multiple files in another file? For instance, in Linux, you can use this command "cat file1.mp4 file2hide.gpg > file2.mp4" to append the file file2hide.gpg to the end of the file file1.mp4, and generate a new file named file2.mp4. The new file( file2.mp4 ) is still playable in all media players such as VLC, if you choose to hide in a PDF file or a FLAC file, the output file can be opened with any pdf viewer or music player without any problem, too. To split the output file, you can use the "tail" command along with the "split" command, you can also write a small code to do this work.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Strong Password Generator to create secure passwords that are impossible to crack on your device without sending them across the Internet, and learn over 40 tricks to keep your passwords, accounts and documents safe.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Pastes you were found in

A paste is information that has been published to a publicly facing website designed to share content and is often an early indicator of a data breach. Pastes are automatically imported and often removed shortly after having been posted. Using the 1Password password manager helps you ensure all your passwords are strong and unique such that a breach of one service doesn't put your other services at risk.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Have I Been Pwned: Check if your email has been compromised in a data breach

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Have I Been Pwned allows you to search across multiple data breaches to see if your email address or phone number has been compromised.

# data[].attributes.body
All the information you need to know about the 159 call service to make direct contact with your bank.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
How it works 159 works in the same way as 101 for the police or 111 for the NHS. It’s the number you can trust to get you through to your bank safely and securely, every time. So if you think someone is trying to trick you into handing over money or personal details –…

# data[].attributes.body
Free info graphics for teachers and parents

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The National College | CPD for Schools, Trusts, Colleges & Nurseries

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The only professional development platform schools, trusts, colleges & nurseries will ever need. Meet statutory training requirements. Drive up standards.

# data[].attributes.body
A free guide to setting up Facebook security settings

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Basic Privacy Settings & Tools | Facebook Help Center | Facebook

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Public for a post, your next post will also be Public unless you change the audience when you post. This one tool appears in multiple places, such as your privacy shortcuts and privacy settings. When you make a change to the audience selector tool in one place, the change updates the tool everywhere it appears.

# data[].attributes.body
A free guide to setting up Instagram security settings

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Privacy Settings & Information | Instagram Help Center

# data[].attributes.body
A free guide to setting up Snapchat security settings

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How to protect and unprotect your Tweets | Twitter Help

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learn how to control whether your Tweets are visible to the public or to your followers on Twitter only.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Manage your account and privacy settings | LinkedIn Help

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Manage your account and privacy settings

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
At TikTok, we know that creativity and expression are personal. And so is privacy. That's why we empower our community with a range of controls to manage their online presence and decide the TikTok experience that's right for them. We also know that when someone joins our community, they're entrusting us with their information. We take great care to safeguard that information and educate our community on the privacy and security tools available to them.

Privacy

TikTok collects information in order to provide a useful and relevant experience for our community. Some of our features may only be available in certain markets, since we develop products to meet the needs of different communities. As a result, we may collect more or less information in a market depending on the features available there.

We encourage everyone to read our privacy policy to learn about our practices. Here's some of what's covered in that policy and collected in the current version of our app, along with some of the reasons we may collect that information:

Phone number or email so we can register an account.

Birthday so we can confirm a person's age and provide an age-appropriate app experience.

Physical address for those who participate in the TikTok Creator Fund (for tax purposes), and for creators who won a prize (for the purpose of mailing the prize to them).

Payment information so we can pay creators in the TikTok Creator Fund, and for accounts that use the TikTok wallet or our virtual gifting feature.

Likes, shares, and search history on our app so we can recommend more relevant content.

Browsing history in the TikTok in-app browser to help make platform improvements, such as optimizing page load times and ad measurement. This is separate from and not relevant to the use of other apps on a person's phone, including web browsers.

Device ID characteristics which help us perform a number of security functions, like mitigating spam and protecting TikTok accounts against malicious activity. We also use this information to help advertisers optimize and measure the effectiveness of their ad campaigns.

Information about your approximate location, including location information based on your SIM card and/or IP address. If you are still using an older version that allowed for collection of precise or approximate GPS information (last release in August 2020) and you granted us permission to do so, we may collect that information.

TikTok user data is stored in protected data centers in the US, Malaysia and Singapore, and we've announced plans to establish a data center in Ireland. Certain elements of user data are encrypted at rest and in-transit using industry standard algorithms. The encryption keys are maintained in our key management system which is operated by our US-based security team.

You're in control

TikTok offers a range of privacy controls so people can choose the settings that are right for them. We actively work to educate our community about their privacy choices through in-app videos, our Help Centre, and more.

Account holders can request a copy of their TikTok data at any time, which currently includes information about their profile, activity, and app settings.

Respecting privacy in advertising

Our goal is to help businesses reach the people they care about in a creative and meaningful way, while also giving our community control over what information is shared.

You can manage how certain data affects the ads you see through the privacy settings of your TikTok app or your device.

Ads on TikTok can be based on:

General information: For example, TikTok might show ads for a certain mobile app if it's supported on that device's operating system.

Account information: For example, the age associated with a user's account can affect whether TikTok shows that user an ad for a car rental service available to people aged 25 and over.

In-app activity: For example, a pet supply store might want to advertise a sale on dog toys to people interested in dogs; we might show this ad to users who like a lot of videos about dogs.

Off-app activity: For example, a fashion brand may want to promote their summer clothing collection to customers who've purchased from their website or app in the past. The brand can share information with us so we can show its ads to the TikTok users we think it's trying to reach.

Security

We work diligently to protect people's information and stay ahead of constantly evolving security threats. Our global security team uses cutting-edge technology and multi-layered defenses to make it harder for malicious actors to get into our systems and regularly works with outside experts to test our infrastructure and processes. We've partnered with HackerOne to operate a global bug bounty and vulnerability disclosure program, and our internal team actively works to improve our defenses against the latest attacks.

Security is a job that is never finished, but we will continue to build best-in-class infrastructure and processes. We will also test our work, validate it, and work with our partners across industry and government to make sure we're doing everything we can to protect our community.

Securing your account

As we continuously work to keep our community's information secure, we also empower people with tools and information for good security habits. Some tips:

Keep your contact information updated: Link your most up to date phone number and/or email address to your TikTok account. Email may be a method of alerting you of any suspicious activity on your account and can be used in confirming your identity if you ever get locked out. Learn how

Create a strong and unique password: Choose a password that's memorable for you but difficult for others to guess. Unique means having a different password for each of your accounts, and strong means making the password complex by using at least 12 characters including numbers and symbols. Be sure to set up strong and unique passwords/PINs for all of the devices you use to access TikTok such as laptop, phone, and other mobile devices. A password manager can help take the guesswork out of remembering dozens of unique usernames and passwords.

Turn on 2-step verification: 2-step verification adds an extra layer of security to your account in case your password is compromised. This will also protect your account from unrecognized and unauthorized devices or third party applications. Learn how

Security alerts: Our teams continuously monitor for suspicious or unauthorized activity. Keep track of recent unusual security events that you do not recognize.

Verify your devices: You can view phones and other mobile devices that are currently using or have recently accessed your TikTok account. This will display all devices associated with your account, how you logged into the account (e.g. Facebook account), and when. Check this information to make sure no one else has signed in to your account. Learn how

Avoid phishing attacks: Phishing is a common method attackers use to trick others into giving up their personal information such as passwords, credit card numbers, social security, or other sensitive data. Never trust any third-party websites that promise to give away free likes, fans, crowns, coins, or other incentives as they may be able to take your login info. Be sure to always verify any links sent to you via private message before accessing the page.
Don't be fooled if someone contacts you pretending to be from TikTok. Remember: any legitimate email from our teams would never ask you for your password!
If you find videos or receive messages on TikTok that you think might be spam or phishing, please report them so our teams can continue to keep our community safe. You can also report videos by holding down on the content in question and tapping 'report.'

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
At TikTok, we know that creativity and expression are personal. And so is privacy. We also know that when someone joins our community, they’re entrusting us with their information.

# data[].attributes.body
Block or avoid unwanted calls on iPhone

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
On iPhone, avoid unwanted calls by blocking specific numbers and sending unknown and spam callers directly to voicemail.

# data[].attributes.body
How to block numbers on Google / Android Phones

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Block or unblock a phone number - Phone app Help

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If you don’t want to receive calls from a certain phone number, you can block it. When the number tries to call you, your phone will decline the call automatically. Important: Some of these step

# data[].attributes.body
Block and report numbers to WhatsApp

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How to block and report someone | WhatsApp Help Center

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
You can stop receiving messages, calls, and status updates from someone by blocking them. You can also report them if you think they are sending problematic content or spam.

# data[].attributes.body
Safety & Security Online

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
Designed and Developed by Will Earp, South West Grid for Learning Trust Ltd

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Expand your online safety education and technology knowledge base with SWGfL today. Discover our range of content produced specifically for your questions.

# data[].attributes.body
A fantastic site full of guides and advice.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Campaigning for change

We fight to change laws to make society safer for children. Our Wild West Web campaign has pushed for new regulations through the Online Safety Bill to make sure websites, apps and games are safe for children to use. But the draft Bill doesn't go far enough to protect children.
Help us end the Wild West Web

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Understanding online safety is tricky for all ages - we have advice and guides to help you learn about staying safe online as a family.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Helping children get the most from online activities

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Whether they’re chatting on social media or online gaming with friends, find ways to help children build their digital literacy skills and stay safe online.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Social media concerns

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The National Crime Agency's CEOP Education team aim to help protect children and young people from online child sexual abuse.

We do this through our education programme, providing training, resources and information to professionals working with children, young people and their families.

I am:

Respecting me, you, us: building healthy relationships and creating positive cultures is a CEOP Education resource for 12 -14 year olds developed in association with clinical psychologist, Dr. Elly Hanson.

Under 18 and worried about online sexual abuse?
To report, click to visit the CEOP Safety Centre.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The CEOP Education programme from the National Crime Agency's CEOP Education team aims to protect children and young people aged 4-18 from online child sexual abuse.

# data[].attributes.body
Really useful guidance from The Citizens Advice Bureau.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Stop getting nuisance calls

There are some actions you can take to stop getting nuisance calls that you don't want.

You shouldn't get nuisance calls if you didn't give the caller your number - for example:

cold calls trying to sell you something you don't want or need, like double glazing

recorded or automated messages telling you you're due compensation, perhaps for a mis-sold insurance policy such as PPI

If you're getting calls about PPI or accidents

Companies calling you about PPI claims, personal injury claims or other claims can't call you unless you've told them they can.

If they call without your permission, you can report them to the Information Commissioner's Office.

It's helpful if you know the number they called from and the date and time they called. If you don't have all this information, you can give other details of the call - for example, the name of the company that called you.

The Information Commissioner will investigate and can fine the company who called.

Register with the Telephone Preference Service

The best way to reduce nuisance calls is to register for free with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS).

They'll add you to their list of numbers that don't want to receive sales and marketing calls. It's against the law for sales people from the UK or overseas to call numbers registered with TPS.

Registering won't stop automated marketing calls, also known as 'computer generated calls'. This is because the law only applies to people not computers. You should talk to your telephone provider about how to stop these calls.

Registering with TPS also won't stop calls from scammers. Find out how to report a scam.

To register with TPS you'll need your:

The quickest way to register is to fill in the TPS online registration form on the TPS website.

If you can't use the online form, you can register with TPS by phone instead:
TPS 24 hour automated registration
Telephone: 0345 070 0707

You can also register from your mobile phone by texting 'TPS' and your email address to 85095.

If you still get nuisance calls 28 days after registering with TPS, it might be because you gave the caller your number. Tell the individual caller you don't want to be contacted again, and they should stop calling you.

You might also still get calls from companies that don't follow the regulations. You can complain about companies that ignore the law on the TPS website.

If anyone says they're from TPS and asks you for money to register, it's a scam - find out how to report a scam.

To try to prevent the problem happening again you should always check any forms that you fill in for tick boxes that say something like "I give permission for third parties to contact me by phone" or "I give you permission to contact me by phone". Don't tick the boxes if you don't want to be contacted.

Block nuisance calls

There are products to block some calls (like international calls or withheld numbers) but be careful they don't also block calls you want. Ask your phone provider if they have a service to block some numbers, or you can install a call blocking device on your phone yourself.

Ofcom has information about the different services your phone provider may have to tackle nuisance calls.

Which? has advice on blocking calls, including reviews of call blocking devices.

If you think it's a scam call

Scams usually involve people being tricked into giving money. If you think a caller is trying to run a scam, you should report it. Find out how to report a scam.

Stop getting nuisance texts

If you've given your number to a company in the past they may send you texts. You can tell them to stop sending you texts by replying 'STOP' to the text message. Only reply with 'STOP' if the sender tells you who they are in the text or they're identified in the sent-from number.

If you don't recognise the sender of a nuisance text or it's from an unknown number, don't reply. This will let the sender know your number is active and they might send you more texts or call you.

Report a nuisance call or text

Registering with the Telephone Preference Service will stop you getting nuisance calls, but if someone's still bothering you 28 days after registering, then report them to the Telephone Preference Service.

Registering with the Telephone Preference Service won't stop you getting nuisance texts. Forward the text to 7726 - this spells 'SPAM' on your phone keypad. This will report the sender to your mobile network company. You won't be charged for forwarding a text to 7726.

Reporting nuisance calls or texts also helps regulators track down who's making them. You're under no obligation to do this, but it's quick and easy, and it'll help more people in the long run.

You'll need to have your contact details and the company name or registration number to hand.

You can also report nuisance calls or texts to the Information Commissioner's Office. It's helpful if you know the number that called you and the date and time of the call. If you don't have all this information, you can give other details of the call - for example, the name of the company that called you.

The Information Commissioner's Office will investigate and can take action against whoever has been contacting you.

If you've had a nuisance text that's advertising something, you can also report it to the Advertising Standards Authority.

Stop calls and texts from a charity

If you want to stop calls and texts from a charity, you should register with the Telephone Preference Service.

Charities shouldn't make fundraising calls to you if you've registered with this service. This includes charities registered in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

You can also contact the Fundraising Preference Service if you want to stop getting calls and texts from a charity registered in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. They'll tell them to remove your contact details within 28 days. The best way to do this is to register on their website. You can register over the phone if you prefer.
Fundraising Preference Service
Telephone: 0300 3033 517

Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5.30pm
Saturday, 9am to midday

Calls to this number can cost up to 10p a minute from a landline, or between 3p and 40p a minute from a mobile (your phone supplier can tell you how much you'll pay).

You'll need to have your contact details and the charity name or registration number to hand.

Complaining about calls or texts from a charity

You can:

You can report nuisance calls or texts to the Information Commissioner's Office. They can fine companies that break the law.

If you're getting calls where no one's there (called silent or abandoned calls), report them to Ofcom.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Action to take to stop getting nuisance calls and text messages

# data[].attributes.body
Test your new found knowledge with these four quizzes...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What are phishing scams?

Phishing is when a criminal uses fake emails, texts or calls to trick a person into believing they are from a reputable company. The aim is either to get the victim to visit a website where they might download a harmful virus onto their device, or submit personal information such as their bank details. Another form of this is spear phishing, which is when a criminal targets an individual or organisation. Where previous phishing tactics may have relied on mass emails sent to random individuals, spear phishing is when the email, text or call will include personal information to the individual. The criminals may pretend to be from a reputable company that the victim has used before, so the emails and texts may be branded and the phone calls can feel genuine. So it's important to spot the red flags and learn how to keep yourself safe.

How can you spot a phishing scam?

If an email or text is unexpected or seems random, ignore it and do not click on it or any links it contains as this may compromise the safety of your device. If you're unsure whether or not it's real, contact the company directly using an official online point of contact or phone number.

Be sure to never give out personal information over the phone or by text or email. If you are being asked for personal information, such as your bank account details, hang up the call or ignore the text and contact the company directly. It's important to remember that your bank, the police and reputable companies will never ask for sensitive or financial details by phone, email or text.

Also remember that if you're going to a company's website, you should manually enter the address into the search bar as opposed to clicking on a link from a suspicious email or text.

How can you report a phishing scam?

If you fear you have been targeted by a scam, call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or visit actionfraud.police.uk.

For anything involving bank details or credit cards, it's also important to contact your bank or credit card company directly.

If you believe your Virgin Media account has been hacked, follow the steps listed here.

If you have been sent a suspicious text claiming to be from Virgin Media, you can forward this to us on 7726 and we will work to block the number.

If you receive any suspicious emails claiming to be from Virgin Media, forward them to phishing@virginmedia.co.uk and we will investigate.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
I’ve just taken the Virgin Media o2 Cyber Security Test. Click here to have a go!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Test your cyber security knowledge and learn how to protect yourself online with Virgin Media’s interactive quiz. Take the quiz now and stay safe in the digital world.

# data[].attributes.body
Give your accounts an extra layer of protection. Keep the baddies out !

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Protecting devices from viruses and malware

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Phishing attacks dealing suspicious emails

# data[].attributes.body
Report fraud directly to Action Fraud

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
More than 22,500 people had their social media or email accounts hacked last year, new data shows.

Sun seekers looking to book their summer getaway are being warned to look out for fraudulent deals, as new data released today shows victims lost a staggering £12.3 million to holiday fraud last year.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
National Fraud & Cyber Crime Reporting Centre

# data[].attributes.body
The National Cyber Security Centre have created this brilliant short training course to help with your online security.