Frequently Asked Questions
Why do scammers target people?
Scammers target people because fraud works. They use fear, trust, loneliness, urgency, greed, confusion, and kindness as weapons. Some scammers are part of organized criminal networks. Others operate alone. Some are motivated by money, while others enjoy the feeling of control or power that comes from manipulating people.
Whatever the reason, the result is the same: scammers are trying to separate you from your money, your identity, your accounts, or your personal information.
Understanding their motivation is helpful, but understanding their tactics is even more important. Scammers succeed when they get you to act before you think. Your defense begins with slowing down, asking questions, and verifying before you respond.
Can I truly be safe from all scams?
No one can be completely safe from every scam. Criminals constantly adapt, and new technology gives them better tools to deceive people. Artificial intelligence, fake websites, voice cloning, phishing emails, text scams, and social media research have made many scams more convincing than ever.
But you can dramatically reduce your risk.
The best defense is awareness. Learn how scams work. Stay current on new fraud tactics. Question unexpected messages. Verify urgent requests. Protect your personal information. Talk with your family about common scams before a crisis call, fake email, or suspicious text arrives.
You may not be able to avoid every scam attempt, but you can become much harder to fool.
What should I do if I’ve been scammed?
First, do not panic, and do not let shame stop you from acting. Scammers are professional manipulators. Being targeted does not mean you were foolish. It means a criminal worked hard to deceive you.
Take action quickly:
- Stop all contact with the scammer.
- Contact your bank, credit card company, or payment provider immediately if money was sent.
- Change passwords on any accounts that may be exposed.
- Enable multi-factor authentication where available.
- Report the scam to law enforcement and the appropriate fraud-reporting agencies.
- Save evidence, including emails, texts, phone numbers, receipts, usernames, websites, and screenshots.
Depending on the scam, you may also need to place a fraud alert or credit freeze with the major credit bureaus.
The faster you act, the better your chance of limiting the damage.
Where should I report a scam?
Report the scam to the agency or organization most relevant to what happened. Useful reporting options include:
- FTC: ReportFraud.ftc.gov
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center: ic3.gov
- Local law enforcement: especially if money was stolen
- Your bank or credit card company: if financial accounts were involved
- The platform where the scam occurred: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, PayPal, eBay, Amazon, etc.
- Your mobile carrier: forward suspicious text messages to 7726, which spells SPAM
Reporting may not always get your money back, but it helps investigators identify patterns, warn others, and pursue criminal networks.
Why do scammers create urgency?
Urgency is one of the scammer’s most powerful tools. When someone tells you to act immediately, your brain shifts into crisis mode. You may stop thinking carefully and start reacting emotionally.
That is exactly what scammers want.
They may say your account will be closed, your grandchild is in jail, your package cannot be delivered, your computer is infected, or an investment opportunity is about to disappear. The details vary, but the tactic is the same: pressure you to act before you verify.
A good rule to remember is this:
Real emergencies can survive a short pause. Scams cannot.
What is the best way to avoid being scammed?
The best way to avoid being scammed is to build habits that interrupt the scammer’s script.
Slow down. Do not click unexpected links. Do not send money under pressure. Do not provide personal information because someone asked for it by phone, text, or email. Verify requests through a separate trusted channel.
If your bank contacts you, call the number on the back of your card. If a family member claims to be in trouble, hang up and call them directly. If a company emails you about a problem, go to the official website yourself instead of using the link in the message.
Scam prevention is not one action. It is a habit of verification.
Are older adults the only people scammers target?
No. Older adults are frequently targeted, but anyone can be scammed.
Scammers target teenagers, parents, job seekers, business owners, online daters, veterans, college students, retirees, and professionals. Different scams are designed for different victims. A job scam may target someone looking for remote work. A romance scam may target someone seeking companionship. A business email scam may target employees with access to payments or financial records.
The idea that “only other people get scammed” is dangerous. Everyone is a potential target.
Why do smart people fall for scams?
Smart people fall for scams because scams are not simply tests of intelligence. They are attacks on emotion, timing, trust, and attention.
A scammer may reach you when you are busy, tired, worried, lonely, distracted, or excited. They may use personal details gathered from social media to sound legitimate. They may impersonate a company or person you already trust. They may use AI to create realistic messages, voices, images, or videos.
The right scam at the wrong moment can fool almost anyone.
The goal is not to feel invincible. The goal is to create habits that protect you even when you are under pressure.
How has artificial intelligence changed scams?
Artificial intelligence has made scams faster, cheaper, and more convincing.
Scammers can now use AI to write polished phishing emails, clone voices, create fake profile photos, generate fake job offers, build realistic websites, impersonate executives, and conduct conversations through chatbots. AI also helps criminals personalize scams using information gathered from social media, data breaches, and public records.
Old warning signs, such as bad spelling or awkward grammar, are no longer reliable. Today’s scams may look professional, sound natural, and appear highly personal.
That is why verification matters more than ever.
What information should I avoid sharing online?
Be cautious about publicly sharing information that helps scammers build a profile of you or your family. This includes:
- Full names of family members
- Birthdays and anniversaries
- Travel plans
- School names and workplaces
- Photos or videos of children or grandchildren
- Videos where family members are speaking
- Pet names
- Financial milestones
- New purchases
- Home addresses or frequent locations
Scammers can use these details to guess passwords, answer security questions, impersonate family members, or create believable emergency stories.
What is a family code word, and why should we have one?
A family code word is a private word or phrase known only to trusted family members. It can be used to verify whether an emergency call or message is real.
For example, if someone calls pretending to be your grandchild and says they need money immediately, you can ask for the family code word. If they do not know it, hang up and call your family member directly using a number you already trust.
A family code word is simple, free, and especially useful against AI voice cloning scams.
Choose something memorable but not easy to guess. Do not post it online, text it widely, or use something obvious like a pet’s name.
Should I click links in emails or text messages?
Be very careful. Many scams begin with a link.
A link in an email or text can take you to a fake website designed to steal your password, payment information, or personal data. Even if the message appears to come from a bank, delivery company, government agency, or online store, it may be fake.
A safer habit is to go directly to the company’s website or app yourself. Type the web address into your browser, use a saved bookmark, or open the official app.
When in doubt, do not click.
Are QR codes safe?
QR codes can be useful, but they are not automatically safe. A QR code is simply a link, and a link can lead anywhere.
Scammers sometimes place fake QR code stickers over real ones on parking meters, restaurant tables, flyers, or payment signs. They may also send fake notices in the mail asking you to scan a code and pay a fee or verify information.
Before scanning a QR code in public, check whether it looks like a sticker placed over another code. After scanning, inspect the website address before entering any personal or payment information.
For payments, it is often safer to use the official app or type the website address yourself.
What should I do if someone asks me to pay with gift cards?
Stop immediately.
Gift cards are one of the clearest signs of a scam. Legitimate businesses, government agencies, banks, tech companies, and law enforcement agencies do not demand payment through gift cards.
Scammers like gift cards because they are fast, hard to trace, and difficult to recover once the numbers are shared.
If anyone tells you to buy gift cards and read the numbers over the phone, send photos of the cards, or enter the codes online, it is a scam.
What should I do if I receive a suspicious phone call?
Do not argue with the caller. Do not press buttons. Do not provide personal information.
Hang up.
Then verify the claim using a trusted source. If the caller claimed to be from your bank, call the number on the back of your card. If they claimed to be a family member, call that family member directly. If they claimed to be from a government agency, visit the official website and use the listed contact information.
The most powerful thing you can do during a suspicious call is simple:
Hang up and verify.
Can scammers really clone someone’s voice?
Yes. AI voice cloning can create a convincing imitation of a person’s voice using short audio samples. Videos posted on social media, voicemail greetings, interviews, livestreams, or family clips may provide enough material for scammers to create a fake voice.
That fake voice can then be used in emergency scams, grandparent scams, business impersonation scams, or fake kidnapping calls.
This is another reason to limit public videos where family members are speaking and to create a family code word.
How can I protect elderly parents or grandparents from scams?
Have a calm, direct conversation before a scam happens. Do not frighten them or make them feel embarrassed. Explain that scammers are professionals and that anyone can be targeted.
Help them create simple rules:
- Never send money because of a surprise phone call.
- Never pay with gift cards.
- Never give remote access to a computer.
- Never keep a financial emergency secret from family.
- Always hang up and call back using a trusted number.
- Use a family code word for emergencies.
You can also help them review privacy settings, block unwanted calls, and identify trusted people they can contact before making financial decisions.
What is the main message of Own Your Defense?
The main message is simple:
You are your first and best line of defense.
Police, banks, agencies, and companies may help after a scam occurs, but the strongest protection happens before the scam succeeds. Own Your Defense exists to help you recognize the warning signs, understand the tactics, and build the habits that keep your money, identity, and family safer.
Fraud prevention is not about fear. It is about preparation.
Slow down. Verify. Say no. Own your defense.