Introducing Shield Points: Learn to Spot Scams, One Short Challenge a Day

Most scams succeed for a simple reason: they hurry you. Shield Points is a new way to practise slowing down. Each day you get one short, fictional scam scenario, you choose what you would do, and the app explains what to look for and what a safe next step looks like. Points, badges and streaks are there to make the habit stick.

How the Daily Scam Challenge Works

Every day you see one scenario written for learning. For example: a fictional message says your bank account will be suspended in 15 minutes and asks you to verify your details. You pick what you would do from a few options.

• You see the answer and the reasoning. Whether you were right or not, the app explains why, so a wrong answer is still useful practice.
• You see the warning signs. Time pressure, links instead of official apps, requests for codes: the patterns that repeat across real scams.
• You get a safe next step. Concretely what to do instead, such as contacting your bank through the number on your card.
• Scenarios are clearly marked as fictional. Names, brands and numbers are invented.

Scenarios cover ten areas: phishing, AI voice scams, deepfakes, fake delivery messages, banking fraud, investment scams, recovery scams, fake job offers, fake websites and social engineering. You never see the same question twice.

Quick Lessons

Short lessons sit alongside the daily challenge. They focus on habits that work against many kinds of scams, such as verify before you trust (checking through a channel you chose), spotting pressure, and family safety basics such as agreeing a verification phrase. They take a minute or two, and finishing one earns points.

Points, Badges and Levels

You earn points for completing the daily challenge, finishing a lesson and completing weekly or monthly missions. Eight badges recognise what you have learned, for example First Challenge, Phishing Spotter, Deepfake Detective, Payment Protector, Five-Day Learner, Safety Streak Champion, Family Safety Champion and Monthly Safety Scholar. Your level grows with the points you have earned.

To keep things fair, there are daily, weekly and monthly limits on how many points you can earn, and each question or lesson only counts once. Points are decided on our servers, not by the app on your phone.

Streaks Without the Pressure

Your streak counts learning days, not how often you open the app. A day starts at midnight in your own time zone, a single missed day will not break a streak, and you never lose points you have earned because you took a break. The aim is a calm habit, not anxiety.

Rewards

Points unlock in-app rewards such as badges. Points have no cash value and can't be withdrawn. Shield Points does not change your Google Play subscription or billing in any way.

What Shield Points Is Not

If you do receive a message you’re unsure about, the ScamSense scanner can give you a risk assessment of the text, link or screenshot — as one more check, not a guarantee.

A Good Way to Start

1. Update the app. Shield Points arrives with ScamSense version 1.2 and later on Android, rolling out through Google Play.
2. Try today’s challenge. It takes about a minute. Read the explanation even if you got it right.
3. Share the habit. Agree a family verification phrase and talk through a scenario together.
4. Come back tomorrow. A little each day works better than a long session once a month.

For the background, see our guides on how to identify a scam, the 10-second rule and AI deepfake scams. If you think you have already been scammed, start with Been Scammed? What to Do in the First Hour. The feature summary is on our features page.

Key Takeaways

• One short, fictional scenario a day, with clear reasoning and a safe next step.
• Short lessons, eight badges, levels and streaks based on learning days.
• Points have no cash value and don’t affect your subscription.
• It builds a habit; it is not a certification or a guarantee of protection.

Frequently Asked Questions

Note: This article describes a feature that is rolling out in stages; availability depends on your app version and Google Play. Points have no cash value. ScamSense helps you assess suspicious content but cannot guarantee that any message, link or caller is safe or unsafe.