10 signs a message may be a scam
Keep this one by the phone, or on the fridge.
1. It is in a hurry
It is in a hurry. A deadline measured in hours is there to stop you thinking it over or asking somebody, which is exactly why it is worth taking your time.
2. It threatens you
It threatens you with something. Real companies write to explain a problem; they do not open by telling you what they will take away.
3. It asks you to keep it quiet
It asks you to keep it to yourself. Anything that does not want you to mention it to your bank or your family is telling you what to do next: mention it.
4. It asks for a code
It asks for a security code or a one-time passcode. Nobody legitimate ever needs yours — a code is how they prove it is you, so giving it away is the whole of the fraud.
5. It asks for your password
It asks for your password. No real company will ever ask you for it — they do not need it and are not allowed to have it.
6. It wants gift cards
It asks to be paid in gift cards or vouchers. No company, court or government office is ever paid this way. It is asked for because it cannot be traced or undone.
7. It wants you to move your money
It asks you to move money to keep it safe. This is not a thing banks do — a bank can protect your money where it is, and no real one will ever ask you to move it.
8. It offers money you did not expect
It offers money you were not expecting. A refund, a prize or an overpayment you did not ask about is the oldest way in there is.
9. It pushes you toward a link
It pushes you toward a link. Where a link goes is not always where it says, and typing the address yourself costs nothing.
10. It wants to control your screen
It wants to control your screen from somewhere else. Support who rang you first never needs this, and it hands over everything on the machine at once.
Whichever sign you see, do this
- Do not press any link in it, and do not reply.
- Do not give anybody a code, a password or a payment.
- If it says it is from a company you use, open their own app or type their address yourself, and look there.
- If you are unsure, call them on the number on your card or your statement — never a number in the message.
If you have already replied or paid
This happens to careful, capable people every day, and acting now matters much more than how it started.
- Call your bank on the number on your card and tell them exactly what happened.
- Change the password on any account you gave details for, starting with your email.
- If you let anybody onto your computer, disconnect it from the internet and get somebody you trust to look at it.
- Then report it at reportfraud.ftc.gov.