🎯 In 30 seconds: Almost every scam asks for one of three things: money sent in a way that can’t be reversed, a code or password, or remote access to your device. Learn the tells below and you will spot the new versions too, because they reuse the same moves.
The three questions that catch most scams
- Did they contact me first? A surprise call, text or pop-up is where most scams start.
- Is there a clock? “Act in the next hour” exists to stop you from checking with anyone.
- How do they want to be paid? Gift cards, wire transfers, crypto, a crypto ATM, a payment app or cash handed to a courier. The FTC puts it plainly: only scammers demand payment in cryptocurrency, and government agencies don’t take gift cards.
Two yeses: stop and verify through a number or site you look up yourself.
The A to Z
| Scam | The tell | The counter-move |
|---|---|---|
| Bank impersonation | “Fraud department” says your account is under attack and you must move money to a “safe” account or read back a code. | Hang up; call the number on your card. No real fraud team asks for a code or tells you to move money. |
| Charity | Pressure to give now after a disaster, by gift card, wire or crypto; a name close to a known group. | Give through the charity’s own website, typed in yourself. |
| Crypto ATM | A caller stays on the line and walks you to a crypto kiosk to “protect” cash. | No legitimate business or agency asks for this. Walk away from the machine and call someone you trust. |
| Fake check / overpayment | A buyer, employer or “mystery shopper” sends more than owed and asks you to send back the difference. | Never send money back from a deposited check. A check can bounce weeks after the money shows as available, and you repay the bank. |
| Fake job | Hired without an interview; asked to pay for training or equipment, deposit a check, or reship packages. | Honest employers don’t charge you to work. Reshipping is never a real job. |
| Government imposter | “Your Social Security number is suspended”, “IRS warrant”, “missed jury duty”. | See the real or fake official page. Agencies write first and never take gift cards. |
| Grandparent / family emergency | A crying relative (sometimes an AI voice clone) needs bail or hospital money, and “don’t tell Mom”. | Hang up and call the person on their known number. Use a family safe word. |
| Investment (“pig butchering”) | A new online friend shows you an app with big gains; withdrawals need a “tax” or “fee”. | Anyone met online who coaches you on investing is the scam. Guaranteed returns are the tell. |
| Lottery / prize / sweepstakes | You won, but must pay taxes or fees first; a foreign lottery you never entered. | If you have to pay to collect, it’s a scam. It is illegal for US residents to play a foreign lottery. |
| Marketplace buyer | Buyer wants to “verify” you with a code sent to your phone, or overpays with a fake payment email. | Never share codes. Check your actual account balance, not an email. |
| Package delivery text | “Your package is held, pay $1.99 redelivery fee” with a link. | Track only with the number from the shipper’s own app or site. Forward the text to 7726. |
| QR code (“quishing”) | A sticker on a parking meter or a QR in an unexpected letter or email. | Type the web address or use the official app. Check for a sticker over the real code. |
| Recovery / refund | Someone offers to get back money you lost, for an upfront fee; may claim to be the FTC or a law firm. | Government agencies never charge to help you get a refund. This is the second scam. |
| Rental listing | Landlord can’t show the unit, wants a deposit before you see it, by wire or app. | See the inside in person or by live video with the actual owner. Check property records. |
| Romance | Fast affection, never able to video chat, then a crisis that needs money. | Never send money to someone you have only met online. Reverse-search their photos. |
| Student loan relief | Pay a fee to get your loans forgiven faster. | Federal programs are free at studentaid.gov. |
| Tech support | A pop-up with a phone number or a call saying your computer is infected. | Never give remote access. Real companies don’t put phone numbers in pop-up warnings. |
| Toll / traffic ticket text | “Unpaid toll, pay today to avoid fees”, often using real names like E-ZPass or SunPass. | Log in to the toll agency’s site you look up yourself. Report the text as junk. |
| Utility shutoff | “Power cut off in 30 minutes unless you pay now” by gift card or app. | Call the number on your bill. Shutoffs follow written notices. |
| Verification code | “I sent you a code by mistake, can you read it to me?” | A code is a key to your account. Anyone who asks for it is a scammer. |
| Wrong-number text | A friendly “sorry, wrong number” that turns into chat, then investing. | Don’t reply. It is often the first step of an investment scam. |
| Zelle “refund” reversal | “We sent you $500 by mistake, send it back,” or a fake payment notice. | Check the account in your bank app. Never send money to undo a payment you didn’t make. |
A worked example: the overpayment
You sell a bike for $350. The buyer mails a cashier’s check for $2,350 and asks you to Zelle the extra $2,000 to their “mover”. The bank shows the money available in two days. Three weeks later the check turns out to be fake and the bank takes back $2,350. You are out $2,000 and the bike. Available is not the same as cleared.
If you already paid
Call whoever moved the money (bank, card, gift card brand, wire service, app) and ask them to stop or reverse it. Report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and at IC3.gov for crypto, wire or investment losses. Then ignore the “recovery” call that follows. Step-by-step lists are on the Money Theft & Forensics page.