Financial fraud

None of this is expert advice. It's what people worked out for themselves, usually the hard way — what actually helped, and what they'd tell someone standing where you are. Take what fits and leave the rest.

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Never agree to pay debts, taxes, or fines using gift cards.
Requests for payment via gift cards are identified as scams.
one person who lived it
Trust your gut instinct if you suspect someone is scamming you.
Your gut often detects traps before your mind does.
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If a job asks for payment before you start, stop right away.
Paying to earn income is a poor strategy and signals a potential scam.
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If an unknown caller asks a yes/no question like 'Can you hear me?', do not answer with 'Yes'; use a different affirmative phrase instead.
Scammers may record your voice saying 'Yes' to claim it as verbal consent for services or charges.
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- Say 'This is she' or 'Speaking' instead of 'Yes' when asked if you are a specific person, to avoid voice recording scams.1
If a buyer sends a check for more than the agreed price and asks for a refund, do not send any money back.
The original check will likely bounce after a few days, leaving you liable for the full amount of the refund you sent.
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scammers, caller, scam, legitimate68

Do not click links in emails or texts from financial institutions; instead, open a browser and navigate directly to the official website.

Do not cash checks and wire part of the funds back, as you remain liable for the full amount when the check bounces.
Banks may initially process the check, but will later reverse it, leaving you responsible for the entire sum.
one person who lived it
Never share your password, pass phrase, or token with anyone, as doing so allows them to act as you.
Sharing credentials means the other party claims to be you, which leads to design issues and potential scams.
- If someone asks for your password, they are either acting on your behalf (making you responsible), scammers, or incompetent.
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Treat unsolicited financial gifts from strangers as red flags.
Strangers do not give away large sums of money for nothing.
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Hang up immediately if a call begins with the phrase 'Do not hang up'.
It is a scam.
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If a caller claims to be from the IRS, hang up; the agency only notifies taxpayers by mail.
The IRS never calls about taxes.
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Waste scammers' time by pretending to cooperate while using an inactive keyboard to simulate typing errors during tech support scams.
Keeping them on the phone reduces the number of potential victims.
- This is one person's reported experience.
one person who lived it
Ignore social media posts that subtly beg for money ('dry begging') by describing hardships without explicitly asking for cash.
It is most likely a scam if you feel moved to send money via DMs.
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Assume that if you have to ask whether something is a scam, it almost certainly is.
- Some argue this mindset causes you to miss out on good deals in new industries where outreach is common.
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Avoid door-to-door sales jobs that require paying upfront for inventory, such as knife kits.
These companies often make their money by selling the inventory kits to recruits rather than through product sales.
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Ensure you are fully disconnected from a suspicious call before dialing back to verify its legitimacy.
Scammers may hear you dial and play a fake answer tone.
- This issue applies more to landlines; mobile phones typically end the call when the red button is pressed.
one person who lived it
- If unsure about a caller, ask for their name and callback number, then hang up and call them back using the official number found on your account or website.1
Hang up immediately if a caller claims to be from your computer company or IT support.
It is a scam.
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Do not rely on Caller ID to verify a caller's identity.
Apps exist that can make calls and texts appear to come from any number.
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Be aware of scams where a caller relays questions between you and your bank simultaneously.
The scammer asks you questions on one line and conveys them to the bank on another.
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Verify tickets by entering the venue yourself before paying a street seller.
If you are accepted into the event, you will know the tickets are not fake.
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Treat any email demanding Bitcoin payment as a scam.
This is a known sextortion scam pattern.
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Do not share personal details with unexpected callers, regardless of any claimed affiliation with businesses you have used.
Scammers collect information to build scam sheets, and companies regularly sell or have hacked data.
- If you are expecting a call, it is generally safe to answer.
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Use a softer approach to waste scammers' time by running them in circles, which reduces the number of people they can scam.
Wasting their time means fewer people get scammed that day.
one person who lived it
Do not send money online for a rental until you have seen the interior and spoken to the owner or manager.
Online photos are unreliable.
one person who lived it
Assume offers of incredible money-making opportunities shared with strangers are likely frauds designed to collect small amounts from many people.
Fraudsters can run away with large sums by convincing thousands of people to send small amounts.
one person who lived it
To test if a tech support agent is legitimate, intentionally ask for the wrong company; real agents will correct you, while scammers might not.
Real companies will correct your mistake, whereas scammers may fail to do so.
- This method is not foolproof because scammers may also correct you by naming the fake company they represent.
- Legitimate tech support staff may view this tactic as paranoid and annoying.
one person who lived it
Expect follow-up calls from scammers posing as police investigating the initial incident if you have fallen for a scam.
Scammers know you are gullible and have your address, so they may attempt a double whammy with fake police calls.
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Refuse to provide information that the caller should already have or does not need, such as your full card number.
Legitimate entities like Mastercard already know your card number and will not ask for it.
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Ignore requests to pay shipping fees for competition winnings.
Such requests are almost always scams.
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Watch for pickpockets who use distractions like conversations to steal from you in crowds.
Distraction is a common tactic used by pickpockets.
one person who lived it
Be wary of e-transfer requests that arrive simultaneously with legitimate transactions, as they may be spoofed links designed to trick you into paying.
Scammers can change the link to look like the real site but direct you elsewhere.
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Report scams online via official government resources.
it can't hurt though
- I don't know if it helps
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When someone you do not know well asks for money for essentials, offer to buy the item yourself and deliver it instead of giving cash.
Scammers often refuse this offer with excuses like distance or complexity.
one person who lived it
When selling items online, request only certified bank checks or money orders; do not accept personal checks.
Personal checks may be fraudulent, resulting in the loss of your item or money paid for shipping after the bank flags the check days later.
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Treat it as a major red flag if a caller insists on resolving an issue immediately or argues against you hanging up to call them back.
Scammers often pressure victims to act now and dislike being hung up on, whereas legitimate entities like banks accept being called back.
one person who lived it
- Tell suspicious callers you will hang up and call back using a number from their official website; legitimate entities will allow this without pressure.1
Be wary of rental scams involving sob stories explaining why a property is priced very low.
Scammers use sob stories to justify low prices.
one person who lived it
Verify the sender's actual email address rather than just the display name to identify fraudulent messages, as display names can be faked while addresses often reveal garbage domains.
Checking the actual email address allows you to avoid 80% of these scams.
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Recognize that some seemingly free giveaways are legitimate because they are funded by ad revenue or views.
Content creators may give items away for practically free to gain views and ad revenue.
one person who lived it
Do not move money or transfer funds based on instructions from an incoming call, even if the caller claims to be from your bank.
one person who lived it
- Refuse to confirm your identity to unknown callers who demand it before providing their own information.1
Do not click links in texts; instead, open the company's official app or website directly to check for messages.
Professional companies almost never send urgent links via text or email.
one person who lived it
Report scammers to the platform to protect less technologically aware people who may be vulnerable.
Others may be desperate and unaware of the scam.
one person who lived it
Read out incorrect bank details to test if a caller is legitimate.
A legitimate representative will correct you; a scammer may not or will react differently.
one person who lived it
Do not waste time arguing with scammers; focus on warning others instead.
Interacting with them achieves nothing and wastes your time.
one person who lived it
Be skeptical of memorial collections organized by people online, as funds may be misappropriated.
Organizers may keep the money and disappear without coordinating with family members.
one person who lived it
Verify a friend's identity through an alternative channel if they request money via digital payment apps claiming to have forgotten their wallet.
Scammers may create fake accounts using your name to trick friends into sending money under false pretenses.
one person who lived it
Blow a whistle loudly into the phone when a scammer asks for sensitive information.
One person reported this was very effective at disrupting the call.
one person who lived it
Question the necessity of application fees for apartment rentals.
Landlords often keep these fees regardless of whether you are accepted.
one person who lived it
Delete sextortion emails without responding or paying to avoid receiving spam forever.
Responding may result in permanent spam in that inbox.
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Before sharing any personal information, ask the caller to provide specific account details (such as your last payment date) that only the legitimate company would know.
Secure institutions do not give out information first; verifying their knowledge of your account protects you.
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Be skeptical of any caller demanding payment via gift cards, Western Union, or MoneyGram.
Legitimate businesses will never ask for these specific payment methods.
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Waste scammers' time by pretending to use a different operating system (like Linux) when they attempt to guide you through Windows-based steps.
Confusing them with incompatible instructions disrupts their script.
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Avoid Craigslist job ads that ask for emailed resumes, as they may harvest personal information for resale.
Scammers use legit-looking positions to collect and resell personal data from resumes.
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Be skeptical of unsolicited offers of help from people claiming to be government officials or foreign entities.
Such contacts often ask for personal information in return.
one person who lived it
Enable multi-factor authentication using an authenticator app rather than SMS or email, as SMS is easily spoofed.
SMS is easily spoofed.
one person who lived it
Do not call numbers provided in robocalls claiming your Social Security Number has been suspended.
You cannot suspend a social security number.
one person who lived it
Do not attempt to verify a caller's identity by providing incorrect information if the scammer may have accessed public records.
Scammers can obtain this information from sources like birth records.
one person who lived it
Do not click links in emails or texts from financial institutions; instead, open a browser and navigate directly to the official website.
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When an unknown caller asks to verify your identity, demand that they identify themselves first with their name, phone number, and address.
They called you unannounced, so they should identify themselves first.
one person who lived it
Recognize that scammers may intentionally include grammatical errors or factual mistakes.
They do this to filter out skeptical targets or appear more authentic.
one person who lived it
- Check for typos or poor grammar in messages from large companies, as these are often intentional tactics to target vulnerable respondents.1
File a police report including chat logs and original emails if you are targeted by a sophisticated scam.
Original emails show routing details useful for investigation.
one person who lived it
Avoid paying upfront for opportunities, as legitimate offers rarely require immediate payment before service is provided.
Scammers often emphasize the need for upfront payment.
one person who lived it
Reject job offers that require submitting sensitive personal information via online forms before starting work.
Legitimate employers typically do not request sensitive info online prior to employment.
one person who lived it
Ask family-related questions to verify the identity of callers claiming to be relatives in distress.
Scammers usually hang up immediately when asked to confirm their honesty through such questions.
one person who lived it
Be skeptical of real estate commissions.
Agents may charge high fees primarily for access to listing databases rather than providing unique value.
one person who lived it
Recognize that the desire to believe a great deal is real creates a dangerous vulnerability to scams.
one person who lived it
Before submitting a wire transfer, confirm details with the recipient via a trusted phone number found in your existing records, not the one provided in the email.
one person who lived it
Do not accept unsolicited nude images followed by demands for payment, as this is a scam.
one person who lived it
Avoid investing in crypto schemes promoted by online romantic interests promising high returns.
one person who lived it
Waste a scammer's time by sending random characters repeatedly or asking excessive questions until they block you.
one person who lived it
Be wary of companies advertising fixed payments as hedge funds, particularly those based in offshore locations.
one person who lived it

Enable two-factor authentication on financial accounts.
Waiting two minutes is preferable to losing savings.
- It can be a massive pain.
one person who lived it
Avoid paying for courses promising passive income, as most of this information is available for free online.
Most passive income information is available for free on Google.
one person who lived it
Build confidence and masculinity through tangible skills or physical activities like woodworking, sports fighting, or tough jobs rather than paying for courses.
Masculinity is a byproduct of lifestyle choices, not a goal achieved through parody or payment.
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Focus on discipline over motivation.
Discipline is more important than motivation.
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Be wary of companies that demand excessive unpaid hours under the guise of training or opportunity.
one person who lived it
Verify a colleague's physical presence if their digital communication seems inconsistent with reality.
one person who lived it

Visit a local bank branch or use the institution's website to find a verified contact number.
It is very unlikely that an employee wearing a name tag at a bank branch is a scammer.
one person who lived it
Consider switching to a credit union for banking, as they are member-owned and allow members to suggest changes.
Credit unions are owned by their members.
one person who lived it
Obtain company phone numbers directly from their official website's contact section rather than search engines.
Search engine results are not verified.
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