Guide Email & phishing
How to Check If a Website Is Legit: 10 Checks
Before you buy, log in or pay a bill online, run these 10 quick checks to tell a real website from a fake one — from the web address to the payment page.
Guides
Practical, step-by-step help that stays useful: how to check whether a message is real, how to protect your accounts, and what to do if something has already gone wrong.
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Guide Phone scams
Is This Number a Scam? How to Check a Phone Number
Caller ID can be faked, so a number alone can't prove who's calling. Use this checklist to judge a suspicious call or text and find the real number to call.
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Guide Text message scams
How to Stop Spam Texts on iPhone and Android
Step-by-step settings to filter and block spam texts on iPhone and Android, plus the free tools from AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon — based on the FCC's guides.
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Guide Email & phishing
What Is Phishing? A Plain-English Guide
Phishing is when scammers pose as someone you trust to steal passwords, account numbers or your Social Security number. How phishing works and how to stay safe.
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Guide Bank & Zelle
Credit and Debit Card Scams: Fake Fraud Alerts and Texts
Fake fraud alerts by text and phone trick people into giving up card details or moving money. See examples, the red flags, and how to dispute a charge.
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Guide Email & phishing
Is a Scammer Using Your Email Address? (Email Spoofing)
Friends getting scam emails from your address? Learn the difference between a spoofed and a hacked email account, how to check, and the steps to lock it down.
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Guide Email & phishing
Phishing Emails: Real Examples and 7 Red Flags
See what phishing emails look like — fake billing holds, invoices, security alerts and refunds — and the 7 red flags that give them away.
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Guide Investment & crypto
Trading Scam Red Flags: Fake Apps and 'Guaranteed' Returns
Fake trading apps show big profits, then demand 'taxes' before you can withdraw. Learn the red flags of trading scams and how to check an investment first.
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Guide Phone scams
Caller ID Spoofing: Why Scammers Can Fake Any Number
Scammers can make any name or number show on caller ID — your bank, a government agency, even your own number. How spoofing works and how to protect yourself.
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Guide Social media
Facebook Scams: Fake Profiles, Marketplace and Messenger
More money is lost to scams that start on Facebook than on any other social platform, the FTC says. How fake ads, hacked friends and Messenger scams work.
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Guide Government impostors
How to Contact the FTC — and What It Can and Can't Do
The FTC's official phone numbers, address and report websites, what happens after you report, and how to spot someone pretending to be the FTC.
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Guide Email & phishing
How to Report a Phishing Email: Where to Send It
How to report phishing and scam emails: your email's Report phishing button, reportphishing@apwg.org, the FTC and the FBI — plus what to do if you clicked.
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Guide Phone scams
How to Report a Scam Phone Number or Call
Where to report a scam phone number: DoNotCall.gov, ReportFraud.ftc.gov, the FCC and the right agency for IRS, Social Security or Medicare impostor calls.
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Guide Text message scams
How to Report a Scam Text (Forward to 7726)
How to report spam and scam texts: forward to 7726 (SPAM), use Report Spam on iPhone or Android, and file with the FTC. Step by step, with what to include.
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Guide Email & phishing
How to Report a Scam or Phishing Website
Found a fake store or phishing site? Report it to the FTC, the FBI's IC3, Google Safe Browsing and Microsoft, and alert the company being copied. Step by step.
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Guide Delivery & toll texts
USPS Will Never Send You This Text
Postal Inspectors say USPS only texts people who asked for tracking, and never with a link. See the fake package text, a 5-question check and how to report it.
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Guide Family emergency
AI Scams: Voice Cloning, Deepfakes and Your Family
Scammers now use AI to copy a loved one's voice, fake video calls and write flawless messages. How AI scams work, the warning signs, and the family safe word.
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Guide Bank & Zelle
What to Do After You've Been Scammed: First-Hour Checklist
Scammed, or clicked a phishing link? Follow this first-hour checklist to stop payments, lock down accounts, report it and avoid follow-up recovery scams.
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Guide Government impostors
Social Security Scams: Calls, Texts and Emails to Watch For
Fake Social Security calls, texts and 'statement' emails threaten suspended numbers and arrest. Learn the four signs of a scam and what the real SSA won't do.
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Guide Romance
Worried a parent is in a romance scam? How to spot it and start the conversation
Warning signs that a parent's online relationship is a romance scam, and calm, practical ways to talk about it without shame or arguments.
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Guide Investment & crypto
Crypto ATM scams: What to know before you put cash in a Bitcoin machine
No real bank or agency will tell you to deposit cash into a Bitcoin ATM. How the scam works, the FBI's latest numbers, and what to do if it happened to you.