Do not give scammers money or personal information. Ignore them!
You may have heard that warning many times, but how do you know when you are the target of a scam. Scammers are becoming more resourceful every day. As you learn about their latest schemes, they create new ones. As technology evolves to identify or block them, they use new technology to bypass or foil those measures. And the arrival of a new means of communication is soon followed by scammers using that new channel to target potential victims.
March 3-9 is National Consumer Protection Week, and March 7 is National Slam the Scam Day. These dates are set aside to focus attention on scammers and the scams they use to get your money or information. Scammers, however, pursue their crimes year-round, so you must remain vigilant every day. Always be on the lookout for fake calls, text messages, websites, social media messages, or letters in the mail.
Four Signs of a Scam
Recognize the signs of a scam. Scammers may:
- Pretend to be from an agency or organization you know to gain your trust.
- Say there is a problem or a prize.
- Pressure you to act immediately.
- Tell you to pay in a specific way.
Avoid a Scam
If you receive a suspicious call, text, email, social media message, or letter, do the following.
- Remain calm. If you receive a communication that causes a strong emotional response, take a deep breath. Talk to someone you trust.
- Hang up or ignore the message. Do not click on links or attachments, and do not press any requested buttons.
- Protect your money. Scammers will insist that you pay in a hard-to-trace manner, such as with a gift card, prepaid debit card, cryptocurrency, wire transfer, money transfer, or cash.
- Protect your personal information. Be cautious of any contact you didn't initiate that claims to be from a government agency or law enforcement telling you about a problem you don’t recognize, even if the caller has some of your personal information.
- Spread the word to protect your family, friends, and community from scammers. If you post on social media, use the hashtag #SlamtheScam.
- Report the scam to the police and to the agency, organization, or business being spoofed.
Additional Steps
Download and share this Scam Alert Fact Sheet (PDF, 575 KB) with family and friends.
Visit https://www.ssa.gov/scam for more information about scams and what to do if you are the victim of scammers.