How it works

A scammer calls, claiming to be an IRS agent. The caller tells you that you owe money to the IRS and threatens to arrest you if you don’t pay immediately by prepaid debit card, gift cards or wire transfer.

What you should know

• The IRS will never call you to demand immediate payment, insist that you pay a certain way, (e.g. by prepaid card or gift card), or ask for your credit or debit card number over the phone.
• If you do owe taxes, the IRS will first contact you via the U.S. mail. They will not demand that you pay taxes without allowing you to question or appeal the amount you owe.
• The IRS will not threaten to arrest you for not paying taxes.
• If you think you do owe taxes and are not sure whether a phone call or email is the real thing, do not respond to the caller or emailer. Instead, contact the IRS directly at 800-829-1040.

How it works

You receive a call from someone claiming to be a Social Security Administration (SSA) employee or a law enforcement officer who tells you your Social Security account has been suspended because it’s been linked to criminal activity. You may be asked to pay money and/or provide your Social Security number in order to reactivate your account. Sometimes the scammers persuade their victims to empty out their bank accounts, put the money on gift cards and provide them with the gift card numbers in order to keep their money safe from the “real criminals.”

What you should know

• The SSA will never call to threaten your benefits, suspend your account or tell you to wire money, send cash or put money on gift cards.
• Scammers sometimes use spoofing technology that will display the actual name or number of the entity they are posing as in the caller ID. If you are not sure if the call is legitimate, hang up and dial 1-800-772-1213 to ensure you’re speaking with the real SSA.
• Never give your bank account number, credit card number or any part of your Social Security number to anyone who contacts you out of the blue.

How it Works

Imposters contact you claiming to be from Medicare to try to get you to divulge your Social Security number, Medicare number, or financial information so they can steal your money or commit identity theft. The fake scenarios the scammers use include telling you they need to issue you a new or updated card, send you “free” medical equipment (for which you have to pay a shipping fee), issue you a refund via direct deposit, or threatening to cancel your Medicare coverage unless you provide personal information.

What you should know

• Medicare will never call you to sell you anything or visit you at your home.
• Medicare won’t call or text you to ask for money.
• Even if your caller ID says “Medicare,” it might still be a scammer using “spoofing” software to fake the caller ID information.
• Never provide personal information to an unsolicited caller claiming to be with Medicare. Instead, hang up and call the customer service number on the back of your Medicare card or dial 1-800-MEDICARE.
• Never join a Medicare health or drug plan over the phone unless you initiated the call to Medicare.
• Don’t click links or open attachments in emails or text messages, even if they appear to come from Medicare. The sender could be phishing for your account number, password, or other sensitive information.

How it works

You receive a phone call from someone claiming to be a representative from Microsoft. The caller tells you the company has detected a virus or malware on your computer and convinces you to allow him/her remote access to your computer to fix the problem. From there, scammers may ask for your credit card information so they can charge you for fake repair services, anti-virus software or a monthly maintenance contract. Even worse, they may install malware onto your computer that gives them access to your computer and sensitive data, such as user names and passwords for your accounts.

What you should know

• Microsoft does not make unsolicited calls to consumers about viruses, security issues or software fixes. If you get a phone call like this, it’s a scam.
• Never give control of your computer to someone who calls you out of the blue.
• Never provide your credit card or financial information to someone who calls and claims to be from tech support.
• Don’t click on pop-up ads that claim your computer is infected with a virus, and do not call the number listed on those ads.
• If you are in need of technical support, it is best to contact an established electronics or computer retailer.

How it works

Con artists pose as representatives from your local gas or electric company. They may call or knock on your door, claiming that you have an unpaid balance and that unless you pay immediately, they will shut off service. In another version of this scam, fraudsters, identifying themselves as utility contractors, tell consumers they have been hired to replace a meter for a fee of about $400 and insist on payment via a prepaid card in order to avoid a disruption of service.

What you should know

• Utility providers will never come to your door to collect payment.
• Utility companies will not call to ask for your credit card number or bank information.
• Do not trust caller ID alone to verify the identity of the caller. Many scammers use spoofing technology to make the caller ID appear with a valid company name and/or phone number.
• If you think there may truly be a billing issue with your account, do not provide any information to the caller. Instead, hang up and call the phone number listed on your utility bill.

How it works

The scammer claims to be your grandchild, one of his or her friends, or a law enforcement officer. The caller then makes up an urgent scenario requiring that money be sent immediately, e.g. your grandchild is in jail and needs bail money or became ill while traveling in a foreign country and needs money to come home.

What you should know

• A scammer can discover many personal details about someone via social media or through identity theft, so do not trust a caller at face value.
• If you receive a phone call of this nature, it is best to hang up and then try to verify the whereabouts of your grandchild by calling his or her cell phone directly or contacting his or her parents.

How it works

These scams take several forms. In one version, you get a text message or automated phone call from someone claiming to be a representative of a major retailer (such as Walmart, Amazon, Costco or Target) confirming a recent purchase you supposedly made totaling several thousand dollars. The message directs you to click on a link or press “1” if you did not authorize the transaction. If you do so, you will likely be asked to provide your account credentials or payment information so that your account can be “credited.” The scammers will then use that information to steal your money or commit identity theft. 

In another scenario, a scammer, posing as your bank or other company you do business with, calls you or sends a text message saying that fraudulent activity has been detected on your account. The scam artist may even say that your account has been deactivated as a result. In order to confirm that the transactions were not made by you and/or to reinstate your account, you are asked to provide personal information, such as your email address, debit or credit card number, PIN number and/or login information either directly to the caller or by clicking a link or dialing a phone number.

What you should know

• If you get a message like this, do not give any information to the caller, click on any links, or dial the number provided.
• Instead, contact the company through a telephone number or website you know to be real to confirm whether there actually was an unauthorized charge made to your account.
• Do not reply to this type of text message, even to say “STOP,” as this could validate your phone number to the scammer and open you up to receiving additional text scams.
• Don’t rush to action before you’ve had a chance to calmly think things through. Remember that a sense of urgency in a message is a red flag of a scam.

How it works

Scammers create fake online profiles on social media or dating websites using photos of other people. They are charming and smitten with you from the get-go, professing their love quickly, even though they have never met you. They often claim to be living, traveling or working abroad to explain why they are unable to meet in person. Over time, they gradually gain your confidence. Once they have earned your trust, they make up stories about how they urgently need money — for emergencies, hospital bills or a plane ticket to finally meet you — and ask you to wire it to them. Your money disappears and so does your new romantic partner.

What you should know

• A scammer can discover many personal details about someone via social media or through identity theft, so do not trust a caller at face value.
• If you receive a phone call of this nature, it is best to hang up and then try to verify the whereabouts of your grandchild by calling his or her cell phone directly or contacting his or her parents.

How it works

Scammers search obituaries for funeral details, including the name of the deceased, the names of the surviving family members, the date and location of the funeral, and the name of the funeral home. They then contact the grieving family member, claiming to be someone from the funeral home. They may even use spoofing software so that the actual name and/or number of the funeral home appears in the caller ID display. The scammer claims that a final payment for the funeral arrangements is owed and that if the money is not received immediately, the funeral will be canceled. The scammer will likely insist that the payment be made via wire transfer, gift cards, prepaid debit card, mobile payment app, or cryptocurrency.

What you should know

• If you receive a call like this, HANG UP.
• Then, look up the actual number of the funeral home and call to see if any additional money is really owed.