· Absurd Bureaucracy · Security hygiene
Account Verification Office: a free game about spotting phishing
Get the little tick step by step, inside the app. The other cards are phishing.
What is Account Verification Office?
People want the little tick on Nowhere Social, a made-up network. Verification takes a few steps, in order, all inside the app. At each step, pick the real next one: the other cards are a later step or phishing (a message asking for your code, a look-alike link, a fee in gift cards).
Account Verification Office is a free game set on Nowhere Social, a made-up network. People want the little verified tick, and verification takes a few steps, in order, all inside the app.
At each step a few cards arrive: the real next step, a real step that comes later, and phishing (a message asking for your code, a look-alike link, a fee in gift cards, a caller who needs your password). Pick the real next step; every wrong pick is explained.
At a glance
- Category
- Absurd Bureaucracy
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Play time
- 5 min
- Price
- Free, in your browser, sign-up optional
How to play
- Verify
- +100 per right step and +10 per step.
- Watch
- Real steps happen inside the app. Codes, passwords and fees never go to a message.
- Three levels
- Beginner, Intermediate or Expert, picked before you play: the content and the clock change, and each level keeps its own best score.
- Satire
- Absurd and warm: every country, office, planet and form is made up, and every run ends on a real admin skill.
Scoring
+100 per right step and +10 per step.
Win by getting at least 70% of the steps right.
What it trains
- Spotting phishing
- Requests for codes, fees and look-alike links.
- Security habits
- Doing account steps inside the official app.
Strategy and tips
- Inside the app
- Real steps start from the app you opened yourself, not from a link someone sent you.
- Codes stay with you
- A login code goes into the app and nowhere else, even if a friend's account asks.
- Spell the domain
- On Expert, look-alike domains swap one letter or add a word. Read them letter by letter.
Why play Account Verification Office?
Account takeovers usually start with a shared code, a reused password or a look-alike link. The same few habits protect every account you have.
Frequently asked questions
Is Account Verification Office free?
Yes. It is free and runs in your browser, with no download. Signing up is optional.
Is Nowhere Social a real network?
No. Every app, website, newsletter and domain in the game is made up (the addresses end in .example, which is reserved for examples). The online habits it teaches are real.
Are there difficulty levels?
Yes: Beginner, Intermediate and Expert. The content and the clock change, and each level keeps its own best score.