A FOTONOVELA FROM 

THE FEDERAL TRADE 

COMMISSION
The Federal Trade Commission is the nation’s consumer 

protection agency. Its mission is to protect consumers from 

fraudulent and deceptive practices. 

This fotonovela is part of the FTC’s ongoing efforts to help 

the Latino community avoid scams and stop fraud. For more 

information, visit www.consumer.ftc.gov/fotonovela.

Report fraud by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP or online at 

www.ftc.gov/complaint.

ABOUT THE FTC

Blanca Rivera Grandpa Silvio Rivera

Blanca’s daughter, Mrs. Cuadra

Carolina

Blanca’s daughter, 

Sofía
1

I can’t wait to see 

the girls perform 

in the school play.

My granddaughters 

take after me. They’re 

very talented.

Oh, no! Papi,

 I need a pen. 

Hello, we have been 

trying to reach you. 

This call is an official 

notice from the IRS 

about a lawsuit 

against you. 

Hello?

Blanca and her father are walking to a school play.
2

I don’t know why 

they’d be calling...

Mrs. Cuadra!

Yes, it was a recording. 

And the caller ID said 

it was the IRS.

What was that 

call about?

You said the IRS 

called you?

I think that’s a 

scam, my love.

The IRS said 

they’re going to 

sue me, but I don’t 

know why. I have 

to call them.
3

 That’s right. It’s a scam. 

The IRS will never call you 

like that. If they want to talk 

to you about anything, they 

send you a letter first.

Scammers can fake it. It 

looks like it’s coming from 

one place, but it’s not. So 

just hang up, don’t call 

them back, don’t press any 

number to talk to someone – 

just ignore them. And report 

it to the FTC.

But the caller ID...

Thank you! I guess we’re 

never too old to learn 

from a good teacher.
4

Papi, weren’t my little ones 

wonderful today?

Of course 

they were. 

Because...

Oh, who’s 

calling during 

dinner. Hello?

(laughing) We take after you.

*RING 

RING*

Later that night at grandpa’s house.
5

Verify my information? 

You said you are calling 

from my bank?

I’m sorry, but I don’t give 

that information to someone 

calling me out of the blue. 

Silvio Rivera?

Yes?

Wilfredo Torres from Financial 

Services Bank. I need to verify 

your Social Security number, 

birth date, and other account 

information to update our files. 

Please verify the rest 

of your Social Security 

number for me. The one 

that begins with 334.
6

Who was that, Grandpa?

Not my bank, I can tell you that. It was a man who 

wanted to get my Social Security number.

If the man got Grandpa’s Social 

Security number, he could use 

it to get a job, or get a loan to buy a 

house or a car. And that would cause 

a lot of problems for Grandpa.

That’s right. So we never give 

information to people who call 

asking for it. They could be lying 

about who they say they are.
7

I’m going to call my bank to let 

them know this joker is calling 

in their name. But I’m not using 

that caller ID number. I’ll use the 

number I know is really my bank.

First the fake IRS and 

now this. What next?
8

This might be Grandpa. 

He was going 

to the store. Hello?

The Caribbean is calling! 

Press 1 to connect to a 

live sales rep to claim 

your free prize at one of 

our fabulous resorts...

Ugh, how do I get off 

these telemarketing lists? 

How do I stop them?

The next day... *RING 

RING*
9

Oh, I think it does. I’ve been on it for 

years. I figure it tells me that the 

calls I get are scams – because legit 

companies wouldn’t break the law. 

Mrs. Cuadra, 

we won a prize! Mommy’s call 

said we’re going 

to the Caribbean!

No, my loves. We’re 

not. That wasn’t a real 

prize. Just a robocall 

trying to sell us 

something. Or scam 

us out of something.

All these calls! 

It’s awful. Tell 

me, is your phone 

number on the 

Do Not Call list?

Yes, but the 

calls keep 

coming. I don’t 

think it helps.
10

But all these 

robocalls trying 

to sell me things...

You know they’re illegal, 

right? Those calls telling you 

about a prize, or that they’re 

going to sue you for late 

taxes...they’re all illegal.
11

I knew they were bad, but 

I didn’t know they were 

illegal! What do we do?

Hang up on them! Check out 

ftc.gov/robocalls. There’s a lot 

of information there.
12

My phone number 

isn’t on the list. 

I’d better sign up so 

it will stop some of 

these calls.

So we can report all 

these calls to the Federal 

Trade Commission?

Yes! There can be big fines if 

we’re on the Do Not Call list 

and a business still calls us. 

And I read that our reports can 

help them catch the bad guys.

Later that evening...
13

Here are some signs of telemarketing scams:

• it’s a robocall trying to sell you something

• your number is on the National Do Not Call Registry (DoNotCall.gov)

• the caller asks for your date of birth, Social Security or Medicare 

number, account or credit card numbers 

• the caller pressures you to act fast

• the caller asks you to pay them by wiring money, or by using gift 

cards or reloadable cards 

Keep in mind that:

• scammers can fake caller identification to make it look like a number 

you know or trust

• scammers may have information about you and sound convincing

• the IRS won’t email or call you to ask you to pay money. They will 

contact you by mail.

• talking to someone you trust can help you avoid losing money to 

a scam 

• some phone companies and other groups have call blocking 

services— some free, some you pay for — or a call blocking box. 

On your smartphone, try apps that block unwanted calls.

• registering your phone on the National Do Not Call Registry 

limits telemarketing calls — but you may still get recorded calls 

from companies you do business with, some charities, and 

political candidates

• you can report fraud, scams and illegal robocalls to the FTC at 

ftc.gov/complaint 

The Rivera Family Avoids Telemarketing Scams
This fotonovela is part of the Federal Trade Commission’s 

efforts to raise awareness about scams targeting the 

Latino community. The story offers information about 

avoiding a telemarketing scam. 

See all of the FTC’s fotonovelas at 

consumer.ftc.gov/fotonovela.

Sign up to get free scam alerts and other news at 

ftc.gov/stay-connected.

Order free educational materials from the Federal 

Trade Commission at bulkorder.ftc.gov.

March 2017