Is This a Scam? 5 Checks for Any Text, Email or Call
A message arrives and something feels off. Maybe it says your account is locked, a package is stuck, a payment failed, or a grandchild needs money right now.
Here are five quick checks you can run before you click, reply, or pay, and what to do if you already did. Every step below comes from the FTC, the FBI, CISA, the FCC or Social Security. Sources are listed at the bottom.
Before you do anything
Do not click, do not reply, do not pay, do not download anything, and do not call the number in the message. Check it yourself first, using contact details you already had.
1. Stop and look at what they are asking you to do
The FTC says scams tend to share four signs. Reading them out loud is often enough to break the spell.
- They pretend to be someone you know — your bank, Amazon, Medicare, the IRS, a utility, even a family member.
- They say there is a problem or a prize — an unpaid toll, a locked account, a refund waiting for you.
- They pressure you to act immediately, and often ask you to keep it to yourself.
- They tell you to pay in one specific way, and only that way.
Legitimate organizations should not object to you pausing and verifying the request using contact information you find independently.
2. Check the company or person yourself, another way
The contact details inside a suspicious message belong to whoever sent it. Use your own instead.
- A bank or credit card: call the number printed on the back of your card, or the one on your statement.
- A company: type the web address yourself, or open the app you already use. Do not follow the link you were sent.
- A family member in trouble: hang up and call them on the number you already have. Call another relative too.
- A government agency: the FCC notes that government agencies almost never begin contact by phone or text. Social Security says it will never ask for sensitive information by text, email or social media.
3. Look at how they want to be paid, and what they want to know
How someone wants to be paid is one of the clearest signals there is.
- Gift cards. The FTC puts it plainly: only scammers will tell you to buy a gift card and give them the numbers off the back.
- Cryptocurrency, including crypto ATMs. The FTC says only scammers demand payment in cryptocurrency. A common pattern is someone staying on the phone while walking you through a machine and a QR code.
- Wire transfers, payment apps and cash by mail. Zelle, Venmo, Cash App, Western Union and cash in an envelope all move fast and are hard to undo.
The same goes for what they ask you to share:
- Passwords, or a one-time verification code that was just texted to you.
- Your Social Security number, or a full bank account or card number.
- Permission to connect to your computer to “fix” something or process a refund.
Genuine support staff do not need any of these from you over the phone.
4. Do not trust what you see on the screen
Names, numbers and logos are easy to fake.
- Caller ID can be faked. In the FTC’s words, scammers can make any name or number show up on your caller ID.
- Logos and sender names copy in seconds, and web addresses can be one letter different from the real one.
- Good spelling proves nothing. CISA points out that scam messages today often have perfect grammar and spelling.
- Do not open the link just to look. Go to the website yourself instead.
- Do not reply at all. The FCC advises against responding to a suspicious text, even to send STOP.
5. Say it out loud to someone else before you act
The FTC’s own advice is short: stop and talk to someone you trust. Saying the request out loud is often when it starts to sound wrong.
- A spouse, an adult child, a neighbor, or a friend who is good with this sort of thing.
- Your bank, on its own number.
- Free help by phone: the National Elder Fraud Hotline, run by the US Department of Justice, at 833-372-8311.
Most legitimate requests can withstand a short pause while you verify them. Urgency is not proof that a request is genuine. Being told you cannot wait is itself the warning.
I already clicked or responded. What now?
Acting quickly helps, and this happens to careful people every day. These are the first steps the FTC recommends.
- You gave a password. Change it now, and turn on two-factor authentication where it is offered. If you used the same password anywhere else, change it there too. If you are locked out, follow the FTC guide on getting back into a hacked account.
- You gave card or bank details, or sent money. Contact whoever moved the money straight away: your bank or card issuer on the number on the back of your card, the payment app, the wire company, or the gift card company. Say it was a scam and ask them to reverse it. Keep any gift card and its receipt. Money is not always recoverable, but acting fast gives the best chance.
- You paid with cryptocurrency. Contact the exchange or the crypto ATM operator and tell them the transaction was fraudulent.
- You downloaded a file or let someone connect to your computer. Update your security software, run a scan, and delete anything it flags. Change any password you typed while they were connected.
- You gave your Social Security number or other identity details. Go to IdentityTheft.gov and answer the questions. It builds a recovery plan for your situation and fills in the letters for you.
- Someone contacts you later offering to get your money back. Treat it as a second scam. The FBI’s IC3 states that it will never directly contact you for information or money.
Where to report it
- Scams and fraud: ReportFraud.ftc.gov (Federal Trade Commission)
- Identity theft: IdentityTheft.gov
- Crime committed online: ic3.gov (FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center)
- Scam texts: forward the message to 7726 (SPAM). That reports it to your phone company, so report it to the FTC separately.
- Someone posing as Social Security: oig.ssa.gov/report
- If you would rather talk to a person: National Elder Fraud Hotline, 833-372-8311.
Reporting does not always bring money back, but it helps investigators spot patterns, and it costs nothing.
Remember this
Stop. Verify independently. Then act.
Sources
Checked against these official sources on September 22, 2026:
- FTC, How To Avoid a Scam
- FTC, How To Recognize and Avoid Phishing Scams
- FTC, What To Do if You Were Scammed
- FTC, Gift Card Scams
- FTC, What To Know About Cryptocurrency and Scams
- FTC, Phone Scams
- FTC, How To Recognize and Report Spam Text Messages
- CISA, Recognize and Report Phishing
- FCC, Avoid the Temptation of Smishing Scams and Robotext Scams Are on the Rise
- FBI, Elder Fraud
- US Department of Justice, National Elder Fraud Hotline
- Social Security Administration, Protect Yourself from Scams
This page is general information, not legal or financial advice.