twinge

Felt a Twinge? Text before you tap.

Forward any sketchy text to Twinge. Our engine checks the link first, then a real person sends you a plain answer: scam or not, and what to do next.

  • You talk to a real person, not a bot.
  • No app to install. Built with parents and grandparents in mind.

Join the free pilot waitlist

We're starting with a small free pilot. Checking for a parent? Easy to set up for them.

I'm the… (required)

Optional. Twinge works solo too. We only use this to recognize them if they text Twinge.

Privacy: we only use your email to tell you about the Twinge pilot and launch. A family member's name and number are only used to recognize them if they text Twinge; we won't text them unless they text Twinge first. We won't sell or share any of it, and we'll delete it whenever you ask.

You're on the list.

Thanks! We'll email you when the pilot opens.

Know someone who gets these messages? Send them Twinge.

Case #1 The Case of the Phantom Toll

Panel 1 of 4. Mom, a sharp silver-haired woman in tortoiseshell glasses and a mustard cardigan, sits at her sunny kitchen table with coffee as her phone lights up on the table.

Tuesday, 10:14 AM. Mom's phone gets toll-trolled.

Text from BRIARLINE TOLLS Unpaid toll balance: $4.15. Pay within 24 hrs to avoid a $50 late fee: briarline-tolls-pay.top

Panel 2 of 4. Mom narrows her eyes at the text, one eyebrow raised. Behind her, Twinge, a cheerful hero in a coral fedora, teal tie and short coral cape, leaps through the doorway with a finger raised.

Mom thinks: Unpaid toll? I haven't hit a turnpike since gas was a buck a gallon.

Panel 3 of 4. Mom taps her phone to forward the text to Twinge while Twinge punches the air in front of a red and yellow explosion.

Mom: My toll-erance for scams? Zero. Straight to Twinge.

Twinge: Scam! Don't tap. That link is a toll booth that only collects card numbers.

Panel 4 of 4. The daughter, about 45, in a navy blazer at her office desk with a coffee mug, smiles with relief at a text from Twinge.

Meanwhile, at the office. Emotional toll: $0.

Text from Twinge Good news: your mom spotted a fake toll text and checked it with us. It was a scam. She didn't click. Nothing lost.

Her daughter: Mom 1, toll trolls 0. Bless their @#$% hearts.

Scam stopped. Family in the loop.

Print this comic
More cases

Mom spots the scam. Twinge backs her up.

Four more quick cases. Use the arrows, or swipe on a phone.

Case #2 The Case of the Fake Grandkid

Panel 1 of 4. Mom sits in a teal armchair with her knitting, answering a ringing phone, alert and composed.

Thursday, 7:40 PM. Unknown number. Well-known trick.

On the phone: Grandma? It's me! I'm in trouble. Please don't tell Mom...

Panel 2 of 4. Mom gives the phone a sharp side-eye. Twinge pops up behind her armchair, tipping his fedora and grinning.

Mom: ‘Grandma’? Sugar, my grandson calls me Nana. And he begs for cookies, not @#$% gift cards.

Panel 3 of 4. Mom stands on the phone, calling her grandson's real number, while Twinge throws a campy punch into a red and yellow burst.

Twinge: A grand-scam! Nana, you just out-grandma'd a con man.

Nana calls the real Danny. He's at soccer practice. Only trouble he's in: offsides.

Panel 4 of 4. The daughter, in her car in the school pickup line, laughs with relief reading a text from Twinge.

Carpool line, 7:52 PM.

Text from Twinge Good news: your mom checked a fake ‘grandkid in trouble’ call with us. Scam. She called Danny. He's fine.

Her daughter: Gift cards? Mom doesn't even give ME gift cards. She gives sweaters.

Scam stopped. Family in the loop.

Print this comicJoin the free pilot

Before a human even touches it

How Twinge checks a link

Here's how it will work when the pilot opens.

  1. You forward it.

    Got a text, email or link that feels off? Forward it to Twinge's number or email (coming soon). No app.

  2. Our engine runs 8 checks first.

    Before a person even looks at it, our system checks the message:

    • Unwraps short links and follows redirects to the real address
    • Looks it up on trusted blocklists of known scam and malware sites
    • Checks how new the website is
    • Spots lookalike names, like a fake "USPS," toll or bank address
    • Checks the age of the site's security certificate
    • Opens the page in a sealed-off test browser to see if it asks for card numbers, Social Security numbers or passwords
    • Compares the wording to known scam scripts (toll, package, grandkid, tech support, bank lock)
    • Writes up the findings for the reviewer, with an AI assist

  3. Always real people.

    Trained pros who know the tricks scammers love check every text you send, and every answer comes from a person.

  4. You get a plain answer.

    Scam or not, how sure we are, and what to do next. No jargon, no blame.

You talk to a real person, not a bot.

See it in action

No check is perfect, so we'll always tell you how sure we are. When in doubt, contact the company using a number you already trust. Twinge will never ask for your passwords, codes or money.

See it in action

One forward. A plain answer. You're in the loop.

See how it works

One forward. A plain answer. You're in the loop.

Story, in five steps, plus a second way to start. This is an illustration only; Twinge isn't live yet. Example conversation, names changed; numbers and phone numbers are made up.

1. Mom texts Twinge

Linda (Mom) gets a text from an unknown number: “FINAL NOTICE: Unpaid toll balance $6.99. Pay by today to avoid a $50 fee: toll-balance-due.com/pay”. She presses and holds the message, taps Forward, picks the Twinge contact and taps Send. There's no app; she just texts Twinge's number.

2. Twinge answers

First, an automatic check runs on the link (example data): “Checking the link… Redirects followed. Domain created 3 days ago. On scam blocklists. Fake toll-payment page.” Then: “A real Twinge reviewer is looking now.” A minute later, a real person replies: “That's a scam. Don't tap the link or pay. Real toll agencies don't text payment links like this. You did exactly the right thing checking. — Maria at Twinge” Then Twinge asks: “Hi! You're interested in joining Twinge. Are you the parent or the child?” with two reply buttons, Parent and Child. Linda taps Parent. Twinge: “Want family in the loop? Give them this number. When they text JOIN, they're in. We only text people who text us first. Twinge works on your own too.” (A family contact is optional.) Linda replies: “I'll give my daughter Sarah the number.” Twinge: “Perfect. Once Sarah texts us, she's in. We won't text her unless she does.”

3. You join

Sarah texts Twinge herself, from her own phone: “JOIN. My mom Linda gave me this number.” That first text is her opt-in; Twinge never texts anyone first. Twinge confirms: “Hi Sarah, welcome to Twinge! You're in because you texted us. When your mom checks a text with us, we'll send you a heads-up. Reply STOP anytime.” The next day, a family alert arrives from Twinge: “Twinge ⚡: Good news. Your mom checked a suspicious text with us. It was a scam, and she didn't click.”

4. You get a heads-up

Two days later, a lock-screen notification on Sarah's phone: “Twinge · Your mom. Mom checked a package delivery text. It was a scam. She didn't click. All good.” Tapping it shows the details. What she got: a text about a missed package, with a link to reschedule. What she did: forwarded it to Twinge and didn't tap the link. Twinge's verdict: scam, a fake delivery notice. Time: Thursday, 10:42 AM.

5. Your monthly recap

At the start of the next month, Sarah gets a recap, “Twinge · Mom's October”, marked as an example with made-up numbers: 7 scams stopped. 7 links not clicked. $1,240 asked for that she didn't send. Top scam: fake toll texts. Mom's checking more on her own: 3 of 7 she flagged before forwarding.

6. Or you set it up for Mom

The other way in: Sarah texts Twinge first: “Hi! I'd like to set up Twinge for my mom.” Twinge asks: “Hi! You're interested in joining Twinge. Are you the parent or the child?” Sarah taps Child. Twinge: “Great! Twinge never texts anyone first. Send your mom our number from your own phone. When she texts us, she's in, and she can reply STOP anytime.” Sarah texts Linda from her own phone: “Hey Mom, I set up Twinge for us. If a text ever feels off, text it to Twinge first.” with Twinge's number and asktwinge.com. Linda texts Twinge herself: “Hi Twinge, my daughter Sarah told me to text you.” That first text is her opt-in. Twinge replies: “Hi Linda, welcome! You're all set. If a text ever feels off, forward it here and a real person will check it. Reply STOP anytime.”

Family contact is optional. Twinge works on its own too.Another way in: you share Twinge with Mom. Her first text opts her in.

Illustration only. Example conversation, names changed. Twinge isn't live yet.

Made for messages like

  • "Unpaid toll" notices
  • Missed package deliveries
  • "Grandkid in trouble, send money"
  • Account alerts that look off
  • "Is this you?" texts
  • Links you didn't ask for
Scam guidesPlain-English guides to the texts and calls going around, with what to tell your parent. The fridge kitPayback Is a Printout. Print the checklist and the comics for the fridge. #FridgeRevenge