Articles and advice about phone scams, robocalls and spam calls
A crying grandchild, a car accident, an arrest and a "lawyer" who needs bail money today. The grandparent scam is decades old, but AI voice cloning lets scammers sound like the person you love. Here is how the call works now, why trying to detect a fake voice is the wrong defense and how to set up a family safe word that actually holds up under pressure.
A caller who says he's a deputy or a court officer tells you that you missed jury duty, a judge signed a warrant and you can clear it today by paying a bond. The call may show your local sheriff's number and the caller may know your address. Here is how the jury duty scam works, what really happens when someone misses a summons and how to check safely.
Your phone shows your bank's name, the caller knows your recent purchases and they say someone is trying to steal your money. Then they ask you to read out a code or send your balance to a "safe" account through Zelle. Here is how the fake bank fraud department call works, what a real fraud team never asks for and what to do in the first hour if you already sent money.
Texts saying your USPS package is on hold because of an incomplete address spike every holiday shipping season, along with copycats that use UPS, FedEx and Amazon. The links lead to convincing fake sites that collect your card details. Here is why the usual "look for typos" advice fails, the one test that works every time and what to do if you already tapped the link.
Every year between October 15 and December 7 people with Medicare can change their coverage, and every year the phone starts ringing with "new Medicare card" offers, plan-switching pressure and robocalls promising extra benefits. Here is who is really allowed to call you about Medicare, the five scripts scammers use and what to do if you already gave out your Medicare number.
Practical advice on phone safety, the latest scam tactics and how to deal with robocalls and spam calls.