Family Sentinel
Guides

Practical guides,
written to be used.

Short, honest, plain-English guides on the scams and email attacks we see every day — for families protecting an older relative, and for the small businesses and nonprofits that get targeted. No jargon, no fear-selling, and nothing you have to buy to act on. Take the checklist and go.

In brief

These guides explain how modern email fraud actually works and what to do about it, in the same plain language we use with our own customers. Each one leads with a direct answer, gives you a checklist you can act on the same day, and links to authoritative sources so you can verify anything for yourself. They are free to read and free to share — with a caregiver, a bookkeeper, a church group, or a parent.

Guides hub published 8 August 2026.

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For organizations

Business Email Compromise (BEC) Prevention Checklist

The wire-fraud scam that costs U.S. organizations billions a year — how it works, and a step-by-step checklist to make your business a hard target.

How-to

How to Analyze a Suspicious Email Header

The hidden part of every email tells you where it really came from. A no-tools walkthrough of reading headers, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to tell a real message from a fake.

For families

Senior Scam Prevention: A Guide for Families

Protecting an older parent from email and phone scams — the conversation to have, the settings to change together, and what to do if something has already gone wrong.

For organizations

Microsoft 365 Email Security Hardening Checklist

The settings a new Microsoft 365 tenant leaves off — MFA, legacy auth, anti-phishing policies, Safe Links, DKIM/DMARC — in plain language, in order of impact.

For organizations

Executive Impersonation & Invoice Fraud

CEO-fraud and vendor invoice-redirect scams — how each works, the exact red flags to train your people on, and a verification playbook that stops the money.

If it just happened

If You Clicked Something: What To Do Now

Clicked a link, typed a password, opened a file, or gave details to a scammer? Find your situation and do the steps in order — most take under five minutes.

How-to

How to Preserve and Report a Suspicious Email

Preserve a phishing email as evidence, report it to the right places — your provider, the FTC, the FBI, the impersonated company — then delete it safely.

If it just happened

Fake Check & Overpayment Scams: What Happens at Your Bank

Why a deposited check can appear to clear and still be fake, why you end up owing the bank, and exactly what to do in the first hours if you already deposited one.

For organizations

Small-Business Email Security Checklist

No IT team? The free and low-cost steps that stop most phishing, account takeover, and wire fraud — in order of impact, for an owner with an hour to spend well.

For nonprofits

Nonprofit Email Security Guide

Protecting donor data, preventing grant and donation fraud, and securing staff and volunteer accounts — the high-impact steps that are free or nearly so.

For organizations

Ransomware & Phishing Readiness Checklist

Prevent, detect, and recover from ransomware and the phishing that starts it — backups that actually work, and a one-page response plan for a small team.

For senior communities

Scam Prevention for Senior Communities

For activity directors and care staff: running awareness that sticks, the standing habits that protect residents, and responding well when someone is targeted.

For property managers

Property Manager Email-Fraud Prevention

Wire fraud on deposits and owner payouts, vendor invoice redirect, and scammers cloning your listings — the schemes, and a checklist to keep the money where it belongs.

New scams appear constantly — our Scam Watch blog tracks the current ones. Or start a free month and we'll watch your inbox while you read.

Free graphics you can share and print

Every guide above has a one-page visual version — 34 graphics showing what each scam actually looks like and the detail that gives it away. Free to share, print and post, with no sign-up.

Browse the tips & graphics →

Would you rather we just watched the inbox?

Reading is good. A second set of eyes on every message is better. Family Sentinel checks each email against dozens of threat signals and alerts a person you choose before the money moves — read-only, never able to send or delete.

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