What to Do Before Sending Money After an Urgent Phone Call

Urgency is the scammer's main tool. Before you send money after any urgent call, run three calm checks. First, pause. Real emergencies survive five minutes. Second, verify: call the person or organization back on a number you already had saved, not one from the call, and for family, ask for your safe word. Third, look at the payment method. Gift cards, crypto, or wires to a brand-new account are major red flags. If any of these checks worries you, don't send.

Educational information only. This is not legal, financial, or security advice. If you have been defrauded, contact your bank and the FTC (ReportFraud.ftc.gov) or FBI IC3 (ic3.gov).