How to be a scam detective [avoid being scammed]

Scammers use multiple means to try and access your personal and financial information. While scams are illegal, it is still very difficult to prosecute them or for you to get your funds back. In addition to illegal scams, there are plenty of legal scams that really are just good marketing schemes, but they trick people into losing a lot of money. It pays to become a good detective to protect yourself from all these threats.

Since there are too many scams to describe in one blog post, I will highlight three of them and give you tips on how to spot them, along with how to avoid becoming a fraudster’s victim.

Don’t let AI fool you

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now being used for phone scams. AI can mimic people’s voices perfectly. It can pretend to be a “loved one” in a desperate situation asking for money. 

When you get suspicious calls from any source, human or AI:

• Don’t panic. If a phone caller sounds desperate and asks you to act fast, those are warning signs. Take your time to think clearly. Use another phone to try and contact whoever is being impersonated. Or hang up and call that person. If they say they are in jail and can’t be called back, that is another warning sign.
• Hold your ground, and don’t give out any private or financial information. This AI phone scam happens quite a bit, especially to older individuals. I had someone tell me that they really weren’t sure if the phone call from their “grandson” was a scam or not, but they wanted to help and told the caller they would work with their grandson’s father. The grandparent called the father right after the call, and found out it was all a scam; the real grandson was right there with his father. Crisis averted!
• Don’t give money. If the caller asks you to wire money, send cryptocurrency or buy gift cards, that is another huge indicator that they are trying to take advantage of you. 

Beware of phishing and smishing scams

Phishing scams are sent via email, and smishing scams come via text messages. They often include links to entice you to click phone numbers to call or websites to explore. The scammer’s goal is to lure the recipient into providing personal or financial information. To make their claims sound credible, the scammer will frequently present themselves as a government agency, a bank or another recognizable organization.

A very common smishing attempt is one impersonating the United States Postal Service. I personally receive this one often. 

Here are other smishing and phishing examples:

• Unsolicited offers that are too good to be true, like notices you have won money, or coupons for free items you just happened to encounter when scrolling on your phone or laptop.
• Warnings with messages like, “there is a problem with your account,” “please click here to pay this invoice,” or “there is a problem with logging in to your account.”

The basic responses to phishing and smishing are to never click on the links, never respond to messages you don’t recognize, and delete the messages.

Other tips for countering phishing and smishing scams:

• If you are suspicious that a message is fraudulent, contact the real source if possible. For example, people can receive emails from “their bank” asking them to verify personal and/or financial information or click on a “deal.” If you are curious if your bank is really offering a deal or needing this information, contact them directly.
• Protect any sensitive personal information by using two-factor authentication to access it.
• Use an email filter. Your email account might have a tool to filter out unwanted emails or funnel them into a junk email folder.
• Block unwanted emails. Check your email provider’s settings for steps to block them.
• Block suspicious phone contacts, then mark them as junk/spam in your phone.
• Use anti-malware software on your computer, and keep the software up to date.

Watch out for employment scams

AARP states that employment and training scams are among the top scams to look out for in 2025.

Ads for jobs might appear on reputable platforms such as Indeed or LinkedIn and still be scams. Be wary of offers for online training that you pay for after you are supposedly accepted for a new, high paying job. The advertisement makes it seem like everyone gets a job after the training. That job is not guaranteed, however, and you still pay for the course whether you get a job or not. To top it all off, that course might be expensive! 

Other employment scam tips:

• Don’t give out personal information like your Social Security number or financial information on a job application. That is a red flag.
• Don’t pay anyone money to get a job, even if it is for “job-related equipment” or if you receive a “bonus check.” That bonus check will bounce soon, then the scammer will vanish, leaving you to pay back the money.

Other resources and support on scams

LSS Financial Counseling has published several other blogs on detecting and protecting yourself from scammers.

• Scam proof your finances
• Scams are on the rise: Protect yourself with these strategies
• Twelve tips for safe online shopping
• Five common holiday scams and four tips to avoid them
• Common scams targeting older adults [and ways to protect against them]

AARP and federal agencies have additional resources.

• AARP’s Podcast Series: The Perfect Scam
• Biggest Scams to Watch for in 2025
• Federal Trade Commission webpage on avoiding and reporting scams
• Federal Communications Commission webpage: Avoid the temptation of smishing scams

A very effective way to avoid all types of scams is to give yourself time. Remember that if you are being pressured to act fast, that is a red flag. It is either a scam or a really slick marketing scheme, and either one could make you lose a lot of money.

Give yourself time to think before you act. Give yourself time to call and ask a trusted friend or family member for advice. Give yourself time to research. 

LSS Financial Counseling’s certified financial counselors are another trusted resource. If you need to speak to someone about a possible scam and what to do if you have been harmed by one, we can assist you. Call 888.577.2227.

Author Sarah Jannusch is a certified financial counselor with LSS Financial Counseling.