Spot the Scam

The one question that stops most scams

Before you click, reply, call, or pay — ask yourself: “Is this trying to rush me?” Nearly every scam relies on urgency. “Your account will be closed.” “Act now.” “You owe money and the police are coming.” Real companies and government agencies do not operate this way. When a message makes your heart race, that's the moment to slow down, not speed up.

Phishing emails and texts

Phishing is a message pretending to be someone you trust — your bank, a delivery company, a streaming service, even a family member — to trick you into giving up passwords, money, or personal details. Watch for these signs:

• A sender address that's almost right but slightly off (support@amaz0n-billing.com instead of amazon.com).
• A link that doesn't match the company — hover over it (on a computer) or press and hold (on a phone) to see where it really goes before tapping.
• Generic greetings like “Dear Customer” from a company that knows your name.
• Requests for a password, PIN, or verification code — no legitimate company will ever ask for these.
• Spelling and grammar that feels just slightly wrong.

When in doubt, don't use the link in the message. Go to the company's website by typing the address yourself, or call the number on the back of your card — not the number in the message.

Phone and text scams

If someone calls claiming to be tech support, the IRS, your bank, or a grandchild in trouble — hang up and call back using a number you look up yourself. Scammers can fake the name and number that show up on your caller ID. A real institution will never mind you calling them back on their official line.

Two hard rules that will protect you from most phone scams: no legitimate organization will ever ask you to pay with gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency — and no real tech company will call you out of the blue to say your computer has a virus.

If you think you've been caught

Don't panic, and don't be embarrassed — these scams fool smart, careful people every day; that's their job. Act quickly instead:

• If you gave a password, change it immediately — and anywhere else you used the same one.
• If you gave card or bank details, call your bank's fraud line right away.
• If you paid a scammer, contact your bank or the payment service; fast action sometimes reverses it.
• Then take a breath and tell someone. Scammers count on shame keeping you quiet.

And if you'd like a second set of eyes, that's exactly what we're here for — reach out any time.