September 2020

personal information, like your 

Social Security, bank account, or 

credit card numbers.

If you get an email or text 

message from a company you 

do business with and you think 

it’s real, it’s still best not to click 

on any links. Instead, contact 

them using a website you know 

is trustworthy. Or look up their 

phone number. Don’t call a 

number they gave you or the 

number from your caller ID.

 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.

 Know how scammers tell 

you to pay.

Never pay someone who insists 

you pay with a gift card or by 

using a money transfer service. 

And never deposit a check and 

send money back to someone.

Report Scams to the FTC

If you were scammed or think you 

saw a scam, report it to the Federal 

Trade Commission.

ReportFraud.ftc.gov

 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.

How to

Avoid a Scam

consumer.ftc.gov
Four Signs That

It’s a Scam

Scammers PRETEND to 

be from 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, the IRS, or Medicare, 

or make up a name that sounds 

official. Some pretend to be from 

a business you know, like a utility 

company, a tech company, or even

a charity asking for donations.

They use technology 

to change the phone 

number that appears 

on your caller ID. So the 

name and number you 

see might not be real.

Scammers say

there’s a PROBLEM

or a PRIZE.

They might say you’re in trouble with 

the government. Or you owe money. 

Or someone in your family had an 

emergency. Or that there’s a virus on 

your computer.

Some scammers say there’s a 

problem with one of your accounts 

and that you need to verify some 

information. 

Others will lie and say 

you won money in a 

lottery or sweepstakes 

but have to pay a fee 

to get it.

Scammers PRESSURE 

you to act immediately.

Scammers want you 

to act before you have 

time to think. If you’re 

on the phone, they 

might tell you not to 

hang up so you can’t 

check out their story. 

They might threaten to arrest you, 

sue you, take away your driver’s or 

business license, or deport you. They 

might say your computer is about to 

be corrupted.

Scammers tell you to 

PAY in a specific way.

They often insist 

that you pay by 

sending money 

through a money 

transfer company or by putting 

money on a gift card and then

giving them the number on the

back. Some will send you a check 

(that will later turn out to be fake), 

tell you to deposit it, and then send 

them money.

What You Can Do to

Avoid a Scam

 Block unwanted calls and

text messages.

Take steps to block unwanted 

calls and to filter unwanted text 

messages.

 Don’t give your personal 

or financial information in 

response to a request that

you didn’t expect.

Legitimate organizations won’t 

call, email, or text to ask for your 

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