The Lure

It survives by disguise

Most octopuses hide. This one hunts in broad daylight on open sand, in full view of the fish that eat octopuses. It was only discovered in 1998, off Sulawesi in Indonesia.

Instead of hiding, it pretends to be something dangerous. It flattens into a flatfish, trails its arms like the venomous spines of a lionfish, or hides six arms in a burrow so the other two look like a banded sea snake.

It seems to pick whichever disguise will scare the predator in front of it.

How a safe-account scam plays out

1. A text from "Northway Bank" lands in the same thread as your real bank texts. It says a £849 payment has been stopped and gives a number to call.
2. A calm "fraud team" answers. They know your name, your address and the last four digits of your card. Details like these are sold from old data leaks.
3. They say your account has been compromised, possibly by someone inside the bank, so you must not mention it to branch staff.
4. To protect your savings, you are asked to move them today to a new "safe account" in your name.
5. The money leaves in minutes and is split across accounts run by the criminals. The "fraud team" stops answering.

The moment to stop A bank never asks you to ring a number sent by text. Use the one on the back of your card.

In the UK in 2025

Many small bodies pose as one big animal

It looks like one long creature. It is really a colony of tiny bodies called zooids, joined together. Each has one job: some swim, some catch prey, some eat.

Together they can stretch 40 to 50 metres, one of the longest animals on Earth, and glow a soft blue to draw prey into a curtain of stinging threads.

How a fake shop plays out

1. An advert offers walking boots at 60% off. The shop has a 4.9-star rating from more than 2,000 reviews.
2. The reviews were all posted within two weeks, and many repeat the same few phrases.
3. At checkout there is an extra 10% off if you pay by bank transfer instead of card.
4. An order confirmation arrives. The tracking number never updates.
5. A month later the website has gone. A card payment could be charged back; for a bank transfer you have to make a scam claim and hope.

The moment to stop A shop that wants a bank transfer instead of a card is asking you to give up your protection.

In the UK in 2025

It blends into the light

Below 200 metres, predators hunt by looking up for a dark shape against the last faint light from above.

The hatchetfish has a row of light organs, called photophores, along its belly. They glow to match the light from above and erase its shadow. From below, it vanishes. This is called counter-illumination.

How a parcel text plays out

1. A text says ParcelPost could not deliver your parcel. To rebook, pay £1.45 at parcelpost-redelivery.co.
2. The website is a perfect copy of the real one: logo, colours, tracking page.
3. You enter your card details. The payment "fails" and asks you to try again, so they get your details twice.
4. Days later, "your bank" calls about a suspicious £1.45 payment. They know about it because they took it.
5. From here it becomes a safe-account call, and your savings are the target.

The moment to stop Read the address before you tap: the name right before .co is the website you are really on.

In the UK in 2025

One learned to speak like us

Belugas spend the summer in shallow Arctic coastal water, but they hunt deep. NOAA says they dive to 1,000 metres for up to 25 minutes, and one tagged male reached 956 metres.

In 1984, people at the US Navy's marine mammal programme in San Diego heard what sounded like people talking near the whale pens. Nobody was there. A diver surfaced asking who had told him to get out.

It was a beluga called NOC. Recordings showed he dropped his calls several octaves and copied the rhythm of human speech. He kept it up for about four years.

How a cloned-voice call plays out

1. An unknown number rings. It is your son's voice, panicked: he has crashed the car and his phone is broken.
2. A "solicitor" takes over the call. To keep him out of a cell tonight, £2,000 is needed for the other driver.
3. You are told not to tell anyone yet, to spare him the embarrassment.
4. You send the money. Then you ring your son on his usual number, and he is at work, fine.

The moment to stop Hang up and call him on the number you have saved. A family safe phrase settles it in seconds.

In the UK in 2025

It dangles a glowing lure

Below 1,000 metres no sunlight reaches at all. The only light down here is made by animals.

A female anglerfish carries a fishing rod: the first spine of her back fin, tipped with a small sac called an esca, full of glowing bacteria.

She does not chase anything. In total darkness the light is the only thing to swim towards, so she waits for her prey to come to her.

How an investment scam plays out

1. An advert shows a famous TV presenter "revealing" the trading platform that made them rich.
2. You put in £250. A dashboard shows it growing every day, and a friendly "account manager" calls to check in.
3. You withdraw £100 and it arrives. The payout is there to win your trust.
4. You invest your savings. When you try to take it out, there is a "tax" or "release fee" to pay first.
5. You pay it, and another fee appears. The dashboard was never real.

The moment to stop Celebrities are used in these adverts without their knowledge. Check any firm on the FCA register before you pay a penny.

In the UK in 2025