The scams hitting Americans right now
If you have a phone, you are on their list. Fraud crews working out of overseas call centers, a large share of them in India, dial through millions of US numbers a week. They are patient, well rehearsed, and they know which words make people panic. The point of this site is simple: give you a place to check a suspicious number or email, and show you how each scam actually plays out, so you can recognize the script and hang up before a dollar leaves your account.
The one rule that stops almost every scam
No real company or government agency will ever ask you to pay with gift cards, a wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or by mailing cash. The moment someone steers you there, it is a scam. Full stop.
Fake tech support
A popup freezes your screen and screams that Windows found a virus, or a caller says they are with Microsoft or Apple. They want remote access to your computer. Once in, they run ordinary tools that look scary and sell you a cleanup that does nothing. Neither company monitors your personal PC, and their real alerts never include a phone number.
Refund and overpayment scams
An email says your Geek Squad, Norton, or McAfee plan renewed for a few hundred dollars. Call to cancel and they take remote control, fake a refund that was too large, then guilt you into repaying the difference in gift cards. You never got a refund. They just typed a fake number into your own browser.
IRS and Social Security threats
A recording warns that your Social Security number is suspended or that the IRS has a warrant out for you. They keep you on the line and demand payment to make it go away. Your SSN cannot be suspended, and the IRS mails you first. Nobody real threatens arrest over the phone.
Bank and Amazon fraud alerts
A text about a suspicious charge connects you to a fake fraud department that talks you into reading a one time code aloud or moving your money to a safe account they control. Your bank will never ask you to move money to protect it.
Warning signs, in plain terms
- They manufacture urgency. Act now, stay on the line, do not hang up, or something bad happens.
- They want gift cards, a wire, crypto, or a Bitcoin ATM. Untraceable by design.
- They ask to remote into your computer with AnyDesk, UltraViewer, or TeamViewer.
- They read you a code you just got by text, or ask you to read it to them.
- They tell you to keep it secret, even from your bank or your family.
When in doubt, hang up and call back
You are never rude for hanging up on a stranger pressuring you about money. Find the real number yourself, on your bank card or the agency's official site, and call that. The number on your screen can be faked.
Targeted or scammed? Here is what to do
Stop and disconnect first. Hang up the call or close the popup, and do not call back a number from a warning message. If you gave someone remote access, unplug from the internet and get the machine checked. If money already moved, call your bank, card issuer, or the gift card company right away, because speed is what makes recovery possible. Then report it. In the US that means the FTC, the FBI, and the FCC, and reporting even helps block the next round of calls. Our reporting guide breaks down exactly who handles what.