Pause urgent demands
Scammers rush people into gift cards, transfers, crypto, or “verify now” clicks. Real institutions give you room to confirm.
Scam awareness for seniors, families, and caregivers
Spot pressure tactics early. Stay calm. Protect your money and identity.
Scam Wise turns confusing scam headlines into clear, readable guidance. Learn the red flags behind phishing, impersonation, romance fraud, fake delivery fees, investment traps, and other real-world or online scams.
In short: Most scams follow the same script. Someone creates urgency, keeps you on the phone so you cannot check, and asks for money in a way you cannot get back. Scam Wise explains the versions going around now, including fake delivery fees, Medicare and health offers, investment and crypto pitches, romance fraud, and calls that sound like a grandchild in trouble. Every guide shows what the scam looks like, the words that give it away, and what to do if it has already started. Three habits stop most of them. Pause when someone rushes you. Verify on your own terms by looking up the real number and calling back yourself. Tell someone else before any money moves. If money has already gone, call your bank the same day and report it at reportfraud.ftc.gov or ic3.gov. This is plain-language guidance you can share with family.
Quick guidance
Three habits that stop most scams
Verify on your terms
Hang up, look up the real phone number, and contact the company or family member yourself through a trusted channel.
Protect seniors together
Use this portal to compare notes with parents, grandparents, neighbors, and caregivers before a scam spreads.
Already happened?
If money has already moved, act today
Call your bank or card issuer the same day and ask them to stop the payment or reverse the charge. Speed matters more than embarrassment, and the person on the phone has heard this before. Change the password on the account the scammer touched, starting with your email, because that inbox can reset everything else. If they had access to your computer or phone, disconnect it from the internet and let someone you trust check it before you use banking on it again. Keep the messages, numbers, and receipts, because they make both the report and any claim easier. If you paid with a gift card, keep the card and the receipt, then tell the store's customer service line which card it was and ask what they can do. Report it at reportfraud.ftc.gov or ic3.gov, then tell a family member what happened. Scammers count on silence, and saying it out loud protects the next person.
Recent articles
Latest fraud alerts and scam explainers
The Gold Bar Scam: A Courier at the Door for Your Savings
Scammers posing as government agents and bank fraud departments tell older adults to turn their savings into gold bars and hand them to a courier. Here is how the gold bar scam works, the words that give it away, and what to do if it has already started.
Read: The Gold Bar Scam
The AI Grandparent Scam: When a Loved One's Voice Is a Fake
The call sounds exactly like your grandchild because scammers now clone voices with AI. Learn how this upgraded grandparent scam works, why it is so convincing, and the simple family plan (including a code word) that stops it cold.
Read: The AI Grandparent Scam
Health/Medicare Scam Awareness
Welcome to Scam Wise. This guide focuses on healthcare and Medicare scams that often target seniors and vulnerable patients.
Read: Health/Medicare Scam Awareness
Home Improvement & Contractor Scams
Hey there, Scam Wise readers! Ready to talk about scams that literally hit close to home? Let's talk about home improvement and contractor scams.
Read: Home Improvement & Contractor ScamsBrowse by topic
Start with the kind of scam you want to understand.
Impersonation
AI Voice Cloning & Impersonation Scams AI voice cloning scams sound like science fiction, but they are very real. Thanks to advances in artificial intelligence, scammers can now mimic voices – sometimes even your loved ones’ voices – with frightening accuracy. The
7 articlesOnline Safety
Subscription Renewal & Refund Scams Everyone has seen scams that clutter our inboxes and ring our phones all the time: subscription renewal scams and fake refund scams. You’ve probably seen emails saying “Your antivirus subscription is about to renew, click here to cancel” or gotten voicemails like “This is
6 articlesShopping & Travel
Fake Delivery and Package Fee Scams Fake delivery and package fee scams have hit almost all of us. You know the drill – a text or email says, “Your package is on hold due to unpaid fees” or “Click to reschedule delivery.” In today’s online
5 articlesRelationships & Community
Pet Adoption & Puppy Purchase Scams Hello Scam Wise readers! Are you or someone you know looking to add a furry friend to the family? Adopting or buying a pet should be a joyful experience, but sadly, pet scams are running rampant online. Scammers post adorable puppy photos or heart-wrenching rescue stories to tug at
4 articlesHome & Health
Home Improvement & Contractor Scams Hey there, Scam Wise readers! Ready to talk about scams that literally hit close to home? Let's talk about home improvement and contractor scams. These fraudsters may knock on your door or happen upon you after a storm, offering to fix your roof, pave your driveway, or remodel your kitchen
3 articlesSeniors & Family
Protecting Seniors from Scams This guide is especially for those of us caring for seniors – or who are seniors ourselves (though the advice is useful for everyone). Scammers often target older adults with cruel tricks – from the classic “grandparent scam” to Medicare frauds. Let’s talk about how to create a safety net around
4 articlesScam Awareness
Sextortion Scams Targeting Teens Sextortion scams targeting teens are a tough but crucial topic – especially for parents, grandparents, and educators. These scams are truly heartbreaking – predators trick or coerce teenagers (and even younger kids) into sharing explicit images, then blackmail them. It’s a serious and
2 articlesJobs & Education
Student & Job Scams Welcome to Scam Wise. This guide is for students, job-seekers, and anyone looking for new opportunities. Hunting for a job or scholarship is exciting but can also open you up to scammers who prey on your ambitions. Fake job offers, fraudulent internships, bogus student loan “helpers” –
2 articlesMoney & Investment
Spotting Investment and Crypto Scams Watch out for investment scams – those offers that promise to make you rich, but only make the scammers richer – and the world of cryptocurrency cons. From bogus stock tips to “friendship” turned fraud, we’ve got a lot
2 articlesSearch the portal
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