Signs it’s a scam

Scammers pretend to be from a trusted source or an organization you know. Scammers often pretend to be contacting you on behalf of the government. They might use a real name, like the Social Security Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the IRS, Medicare, or law enforcement. Some pretend to be from a business you know, like a utility company, a tech company, or even a charity asking for donations. They may use names, logos, or links similar to legitimate groups to try to confuse you.

Scammers may appear to be from a trusted source. They may use real logos and links that appear okay because they appear to be legitimate links or similarly named. Scammers may use names of real government officials, pictures, or attachments to try and prove their legitimacy and gain your trust. They may even spoof legitimate phone numbers.

Scammers may say there’s a problem or a prize, so they need to confirm information. They might say you’re in trouble with the government, you owe money, or someone in your family had an emergency. They might say there’s a virus on your computer, that you have a package, or a refund is waiting for you. Often, they include links to click on that appear to be a legitimate agency/organization website. Do not click the link!

Scammers may pressure you to act immediately or share sensitive information. Scammers want you to act before you have time to think. They might tell you not to hang up if you’re on the phone, so you can’t check out their story. Hanging up is exactly what you want to do. What can you do to avoid a scam?

Scammers may use payments that are hard to trace. They often insist that you pay using cryptocurrency, by wiring money through a company like Zelle, Venmo, MoneyGram, Western Union or pay as friend to friend. These are all electronic banking apps that you may have loaded onto your phone. They may also request you put money on a gift card and then give them the PIN number on the back.

Scammers may threaten to arrest you immediately if you do not pay. They may threaten legal action against you or your loved ones.

How to avoid a scam

Protect your personal or financial information in response to a request you didn’t expect, even if the caller has some of your personal information. Legitimate organizations won’t email or text to ask for your sensitive personal information, like your Social Security number, bank account, or credit card number.

Know how a scammer tells you how to pay. Never pay someone who insists you pay with cryptocurrency, a mobile payment app like Venmo or Zelle, a wire transfer service like Western Union or MoneyGram, or a gift card. And never deposit a check and send money back to someone.

Block unwanted calls and text messages and report them as a scammer. Take steps to block unwanted calls and filter unwanted text messages. Use the call blocking or call labeling technology on your cell phone or traditional landline. Many text and e-mail applications will allow you to report the number/e-mail.

Resist the pressure to act immediately. Legitimate businesses will give you time to make a decision. Anyone who pressures you to pay or give them your personal information is a scammer. Hang up and use a publicly available phone number to contact that organization directly.

Stop and talk to someone you trust. Before you do anything else, tell someone – a friend, a family member, a neighbor – what happened. Talking about it could help you realize it’s a scam. If you think the message you have received is a scam, do not reply to the message unless and until you are confident that you have verified that the message is legitimate. If the message refers to a specific organization, use a publicly available phone number to contact that organization.

Visit the Consumer Protection Financial Bureau for more resources on fraud and scams.

Scammer tactics

Spoofing – Disguising an email address, social media profile, sender name, phone number, or website address to convince you that you are interacting with a trusted source.

Email Phishing – Email sent with the intention of deceiving you to act, such as updating a password or clicking on an attachment.

Smishing – Phishing via text messaging. The fraudulent text may appear to come from a reputable business, but it is designed to trick you into revealing personal information. Do not click the link. Instead, log onto the official account directly using a secure computer browser.

Vishing – Voice phishing occurs via phone. The caller typically leaves an “urgent” message, making recipients believe they will be fined or miss out on an opportunity if they do not respond immediately.

Angler Phishing – Targets social media users. Bad actors will direct messages to disgruntled customers, pretending to be customer service agents, to obtain personal information or other account credentials.

Evil Twin Hotspot – Fraudulent Wi-Fi access points designed to trick users into connecting to them so they can steal sensitive information or redirect links to malicious sites.

Juice Jacking – Bad actors use public USB ports to introduce malware and monitoring software onto devices. Always carry your own charger and use an electrical outlet instead.

Pop-up Phishing – Fraudulent messages that have been infected with malicious code “pop up” on otherwise legitimate websites, enticing you to click on them to corrupt your device or data.

Tell Me About Yourself – During a phone call, the scammer may ask you to verify who you are by asking you to verify your personal information to access records.