When Scamless flags a message
A flag isn’t proof that something is a scam. It means the message contains a pattern scammers commonly use — a reason to slow down and check before you reply, click, or pay. Here’s what each kind of flag means and exactly what to do.
What to do once a message is flagged
The hardest part of avoiding a scam isn’t knowing what to do — it’s catching the one message that needs a second look, often when you’re busy, distracted, or being rushed. Modern scams are written to slip past exactly that moment. That’s the job Scamless does for you: it watches the messages you receive and flags the ones that match how scams behave, so you get a chance to pause before you act.
Once you’ve been given that pause, one step closes most scams: verify through a channel you choose yourself. If a message claims to be your bank, your relative, or a delivery company, reach them using a number or app you already have — never the link or number in the message. Scammers count on you staying inside the conversation they control; stepping outside it is what breaks the scam.
Money request
Asking you to send money, gift cards, or crypto
A request to pay or send funds — by wire, gift cards, a payment app, or cryptocurrency. Gift cards and crypto are scammer favorites because the money is almost impossible to get back.
DO
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Stop and verify the request with the company or person through a number you look up yourself.
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Remember: no legitimate business or government agency is paid in gift cards or crypto.
DONT
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Buy gift cards, wire money, or send crypto because someone told you to — no matter the reason.
Pressure
Pressuring you to act urgently
Manufactured time pressure — “act now,” “your account closes today,” “a warrant has been issued.” Urgency exists to stop you from thinking or checking.
DO
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Treat the urgency itself as the warning sign. Real institutions give you time.
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Step away and verify independently before doing anything.
DONT
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Click, pay, or reply because you’re afraid of missing a deadline.
Emotional pressure
Using guilt or fear to pressure you
Emotional manipulation — a relative supposedly in trouble, a sympathy story, or shame used to push you into acting before you can think.
DO
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Pause, then call the person or family directly on a number you already have.
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Agree on a family “safe word” to confirm real emergencies.
DONT
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Send money or information based on a story you can’t independently confirm.
Blackmail
Attempting to blackmail you
A threat to release private photos, personal information, or AI-generated explicit images unless you pay or comply. This is called sextortion, and it’s a crime — the person targeted has done nothing wrong.
DO
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Stop responding and keep the messages as evidence (screenshots, usernames, numbers).
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Report it to the FBI. You are not in trouble, and help is available.
DONT
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Pay — paying almost always brings more demands.
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Send more images or keep engaging with the sender.
Government impersonation
Impersonating the IRS, law enforcement, or government
Someone claiming to be the IRS, Social Security, police, or FBI — usually demanding payment or personal details, or threatening arrest.
DO
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Hang up or stop replying. Agencies contact you by mail first and never demand gift cards, crypto, or wires.
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Verify by calling the agency’s official published number yourself.
DONT
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Trust caller ID — it can be faked to show a real agency name.
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Pay or share any personal information.
Data request
Requesting sensitive personal information
Asking for your Social Security number, bank or routing numbers, passport, login codes, or personal photos.
DO
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Withhold it. Share sensitive details only when you started the contact through an official channel.
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Keep one-time passcodes private — no real company will ever ask you to read one back.
DONT
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Send your SSN, account numbers, or verification codes to anyone who contacted you.
Job offer
Job offer with upfront requirements
A recruiter or “remote job” that asks for payment, equipment fees, or your banking details before you’ve genuinely been hired.
DO
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Research the company independently and contact it through its real website.
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Remember real employers don’t charge you to work or need your bank login.
DONT
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Pay for a job, deposit a check and forward part of it, or give banking details to an unverified recruiter.
Brand impersonation
Impersonating a well-known brand
A message posing as Amazon, Apple, PayPal, your bank, or another familiar brand — usually with a link to a fake login or a made-up problem with your account.
DO
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Go to the company directly through its official app or by typing the web address yourself.
DONT
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Click links or call numbers in the message.
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Log in through a link you were sent.
Delivery / fee
Claims a package delivery failed or a fee is owed
A text about a “held” parcel, a failed delivery, or a small customs or toll fee — with a link to pay or “confirm your details.”
DO
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Check directly with the carrier (USPS, FedEx, UPS) or retailer using their official site or your order confirmation.
DONT
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Pay a fee or enter card details through a texted link. Carriers don’t collect small fees this way.
Tech-support scare
Claims your device is infected or compromised
A “virus detected” or “your account was hacked” message telling you to call a number, install software, or grant remote access.
DO
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Close the message. If you’re worried, run your own trusted security app and contact the company directly.
DONT
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Call the number, install anything, or let anyone control your device remotely.
Account verification
Claims your account is locked or needs verifying
A “your account is suspended — verify now” message with a link to a fake login page built to capture your password.
DO
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Open the account yourself through its official app or website to check whether anything is actually wrong.
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Turn on two-factor authentication for important accounts.
DONT
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Log in through the link, or type your password into a page you reached from a message.
Family impersonation
Claims to be a family member or known contact on a new number
“Hi Mom, I lost my phone — this is my new number.” An impersonator poses as someone you know, usually leading up to a request for money or gift cards.
DO
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Call the person on their existing, known number to confirm before doing anything.
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Use your family safe word.
DONT
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Save the new number as that person, or send money, until you’ve confirmed another way.
Investment pitch
Promoting an investment or crypto platform
A pitch promising guaranteed returns, or a “platform” where the sender claims to have made money. These often begin with a long, friendly build-up before any money is mentioned — a tactic sometimes called “pig butchering.”
DO
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Be skeptical of any “guaranteed” return — that promise doesn’t exist in real investing.
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Check the platform or firm with regulators at investor.gov or brokercheck.finra.org.
DONT
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Deposit money into a platform someone messaged you about, or move crypto somewhere to “grow” it.
Unsolicited stranger
Unsolicited contact from a stranger
A first message from an unknown number — a “wrong number,” a friendly hello, or a compliment that arrives too soon. Many romance and investment scams start exactly this way, building trust over days or weeks before any request appears.
DO
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It’s perfectly fine not to reply. If you do, stay alert as the conversation drifts toward money, crypto, or investments.
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Let the conversation earn your trust slowly.
DONT
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Share personal details, photos, or financial information with someone who reached out unprompted.
A friendly stranger isn’t proof of a scam — but an unexpected opener is the most common first move, so there’s no harm in being careful.
Spam
Unsolicited promotion or spam
Bulk marketing, “you’ve won,” discount links, referral spam, or a generic greeting that leads into a pitch.
DO
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Delete it and block the sender.
DONT
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Click links, or reply “STOP” to an unknown sender — a reply can confirm your number is active. Block instead.
Forward unwanted texts to 7726 (“SPAM”).
If you think you’ve already been caught
Anyone can be targeted — these schemes are designed by professionals, and falling for one is nothing to be ashamed of. What matters now is acting quickly:
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If you sent money: contact your bank or the payment/gift-card company right away and ask whether the transfer can be stopped or reversed.
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If you shared a password: change it immediately, and anywhere else you used the same one. Turn on two-factor authentication.
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If you shared your SSN or financial details: go to identitytheft.gov for a step-by-step recovery plan.
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Then report it using the links above so others can be protected.
Where to report, at a glance: general fraud —
reportfraud.ftc.gov · online crime with a financial loss —
ic3.gov (FBI) · identity theft —
identitytheft.gov · Social Security scams —
oig.ssa.gov/report · unwanted texts — forward to 7726.
This page is general guidance, not legal or financial advice. When in doubt, contact the company or agency involved directly using a number you look up yourself.
