There are at least three things I never do that people apparently still do.

And that surprised me.

But hey, it's a free world, and people are free to walk into trouble.

1. I never pick up numbers I don't recognise, especially outside of WhatsApp

In the U.S., amazingly, people still use text messages and regular network calls, but in several other countries, and pretty much in every country in Europe, people don't really do that anymore.

For the vast, vast majority of Europeans, all forms of communication (text, video, calls) go through the internet - via WhatsApp, Viber, Signal, Telegram and so on - but not on regular networks.

With that in mind. I never, ever pick up numbers I don't recognise, especially if it's a landline number, especially if it's via network, not the internet.

Why? Because unless you've got elderly relatives that you know are still using this to communicate with you, those calls almost always lead to unpleasant conversations with scammers or people who are trying to sell you something.

I genuinely don't remember the last time I received a call I was interested in that wasn't from a known contact on my phone.

2. I never reply to emails I'm not interested in and wasn't expecting/waiting on, especially if they're soliciting something

I receive a ton of fake emails from Coinbase, Binance etc weekly.

I also receive regular emails from people prompting action on my part.

"Send me your CV", "please confirm this", "please confirm that".

Now, why in the fcuk would I answer those emails?

I guess maybe that also depends on your country of origin but, in my country, when the government wants something from you, they still send regular mail, definitely not a random email. So if you really need to take action you'll know, it won't be just an email.

If I want/need something from my bank or crypto exchange, I'll get in touch with them.

And if they want something from me, I always ignore the email and double check in the app.

If the email is genuine (example: additional info for your account) then I'll find confirmation in the app, but there's no need to reply to the email.

3. I use known channels/apps when I travel

I'm subscribed to a lot of FB travel groups in which a surprising number of people complain about being scammed by would-be taxi drivers, people who sell them fake sim cards and so on.

This is absolutely baffling to me.

If I travel to country XYZ I'll do my due diligence and find out whether country XYZ has Uber or Bolt or equivalent. If it does, then I'll use those. If it doesn't, then I'll use a bus.

But what I certainly never do is say yes to a random stranger who says 'need a cab?'.

Same with sim cards. I've never been to a country I couldn't find an eSim for but, if I can't, I'll once again do due diligence and find out more about local mobile carriers.

After that, I'll go to the first mobile carrier store I find and get a sim card.

Once again what I don't do is say yes to somebody who's randomly offering me a sim card.