Plain-language scam guides
Know what to look for—and what to do next
Each guide answers one common scam question using calm, practical steps and official consumer-protection sources. When you are ready, practice the same decisions in a fictional story where nothing you tap is real.
Fake computer warnings
Learn how fake virus pop-ups and tech support scams work, why remote access is dangerous, and what to do before or after contact.
Read the guideBank verification code scams
The FTC says anyone who asks for your verification code is a scammer. Why a fake bank caller wants it, and how to reach your real bank on a number you trust.
Read the guideFamily emergency scams
Learn how family emergency and grandparent scams create urgency, how AI-cloned voices can sound familiar, and how to verify a request safely.
Read the guidePhishing emails
Anyone can make an email's display name read like your bank or a company you trust. How to see the full sender address, spot a misspelled domain, and check the account yourself.
Read the guideScam text messages
Learn how to check an unexpected text about a toll, a delivery, a bank, or an account without tapping its link, and what to do if you already replied.
Read the guideGift card payment requests
Learn why a request to pay by gift card is a reliable sign of a scam, what the caller usually says, and what to do quickly if the numbers were read out.
Read the guideGovernment impersonation
Learn how scammers imitate tax offices, benefits agencies, courts, and police, what real agencies actually do, and how to check a message independently.
Read the guideQR code scams
Learn where scam QR codes turn up, why a printed square is impossible to read by eye, and how to check where one leads before entering anything.
Read the guideThe latest scams
Guides cover what does not change. Alerts cover what is going around now, with new alerts added as sources are verified.
Has something already happened?
Go to Help Now for general recovery steps and official reporting resources. The site will not ask you to describe the incident.
Practice the decisions safely
Reading can explain a warning sign. Practice helps you rehearse the pause, the independent check, and the safer next step before a real request arrives.