We are including a printable guide to put next to the child’s or parent’s computer or to keep handy as a reminder for yourself.
Have ‘conversations’ with family members
Don’t assume that the people in your life know how to recognize or respond to deception. Even teenagers, who we often assume know the most about the Internet, are vulnerable. Make sure your family members know they can come to you at any time to check on a suspicious direct message or phone call. There is a lot of shame and embarrassment associated with “falling for” a scam, but this type of scam is like any other crime and is not the victim’s fault.
Change these settings to minimize fraud risks
Make it significantly harder for cybercriminals to target you or family members by changing basic settings. Not everyone will need or want all of these protections.
Make social media private: Set your Facebook, Twitter and other social media profiles to private. If you need a public profile, remove information such as your location information and contact information.
Facebook: Limit who can see your friends list or find your profile. A common scam involves creating a fake profile of a real person you know, then sending you messages asking for money. On Facebook, go to Settings & Privacy → Followers & Public Content → select “Who can see the people, pages, and lists you follow?” Choose Friends or Just Me.
Messenger: Tap your profile picture and select Privacy → Message delivery. Under “Other people,” click “Others” on Facebook and select “Do not receive request.” Do the same for others on Instagram. In the “Potential Connections” section, set the categories to “Do Not Receive Requests” or “Message Requests” to limit the number of prospective connections that can send you direct messages.
WhatsApp: Go to Settings → Account → Privacy and limit who can add you to groups and who can see information like your status and personal information.
Phone contacts: Make sure known contacts are added to phone address books so it’s easier to ignore unknown numbers. Then send unknown callers to voicemail. If it’s important, they’ll leave a message. On an iPhone, go to Settings → Phone → Mute Unknown Callers. This will send anyone you’ve never communicated with directly to voicemail. On an Android device, open the Phone app, find the menu button (looks like three dots), tap it, then tap Settings. Most phones will have options for number blocking and caller ID/spam protection, although they often go by different names. (If you’re using voicemail to screen calls, make sure outgoing message is set up and your inbox isn’t full.)
Maximize your privacy: Most devices and apps have privacy settings that you need to enable. Check out our privacy reset guide.
Improve your security: To make sure all your accounts are as safe as possible, read our security reset guide.
Fraudsters want to use current events, whether it’s the pandemic or aid to Ukraine. For example, within 24 hours of President Biden announcing a program to forgive some student loans, the Federal Trade Commission issued a warning about student loan scams.
Knowing what new tricks are trending will also happen helps you spot shady activity quickly. You can get updates about the latest fraud at sites including Fraud.org. The FTC does a great job of issuing timely consumer alerts, and the AARP fraud site is also packed with resources.
Assume that people or companies are not who they say they are
It is easy to imitate a real person or organization. Make it your first instinct to ask yourself: Are they who they say they are? If in doubt, go to the next step.
Verify everything using another channel
To confirm that a person or company is who they claim to be, you should seek another contact method. Do not trust any contact information contained in the original message; instead, find the best way to reach the company entirely yourself, such as search for and use an official customer service number on a company’s website. If you are not sure, ask a friend or family member. If you don’t have someone to call, AARP has a number anyone can call to inquire about a possible scam: 877-908-3360.
“Verify, verify, check. If you have a message on Facebook, message the person. Do you have a phone call? Call the bank,” says Caroline Wong, chief strategy officer at cybersecurity company Cobalt. “Discover a channel other than whatever channel you are sending the message to.”
Do not answer, do not click links, do not answer the call
Don’t get involved with potential scams, even if you’re curious. This includes not clicking links from contacts you don’t know. Got a message claiming to be from UPS for a package? Instead, go to the official UPS website.
Look for the sender’s phone number, email or URLs
Look for any details that will tell you a message is fake, and Google it if you’re not sure. This includes an email address that doesn’t have the right domain (like a message that claims to be from Apple but isn’t from Apple.com), a link that goes somewhere it shouldn’t, or a phone number you’ve never seen. In social media or messaging apps, click on profiles to see if they’ve been created recently and if they look real.
Worried about being rude? You have a script
If you don’t feel comfortable just hanging up on a stranger or find it rude to do so, prepare a rejection script, says Amy Nofziger, director of fraud victim support at AARP. It can be as simple as, “I don’t do business over the phone, thanks for calling.”
Memorize the signs that something is a scam
You have not started the conversation: If a text message, direct message, email, or phone call comes out unclear, it’s much more likely to be a scam.
You have earned something: Sorry, you didn’t actually win anything. Skip messages that say you’ve won money or prizes or are getting a refund.
You are in a panic: Criminals want to make you think there is an emergency. If they can get you to act without slowing down and thinking critically, there’s a better chance they’ll succeed. Watch for signs in yourself such as a fast heart rate or sweaty palms.
“Fraudsters want to create a sense of urgency. They want to get you to act, to use that part of your brain to fight or flight with animals,” says John Breyault, vice president at the advocacy group National Consumers League and director of Fraud.org.
It includes fast payment methods: “Criminals like their money fast, quick and untraceable,” said AARP’s Nofziger. Peer-to-peer payment apps are the current favorites because they allow money to be transferred instantly without leaving much of a footprint, Nofziger says.
If a stranger asks you to pay them (or offers to pay you) in the following ways, it’s likely a scam: peer-to-peer apps like Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, wire transfers, prepaid gift cards , cryptocurrency or cash. Don’t share your credit card number either, unless you’ve confirmed through a second form of contact that the matter is legitimate.
There are payment complications: If someone says they owe you money or claims to have problems with a transaction with or from you, investigate. In a popular Facebook Marketplace scam, criminals will offer to pay for an app like Zelle, say there’s a problem, then ask for your email address in order to send a fake email and get your information.
They want information: Not all scammers want money; some are trying to get your address, logins and passwords, or your Social Security number.
“At the end of the day, scammers are looking for money or information that they can turn into cash,” says Breyault.
Something is wrong: Your gut is your best tool for avoiding scams. If something goes wrong, ask a family member, call the AARP hotline, or find another form of contact yourself and reach out to confirm if the overture is legitimate.
