Free scam-prevention kit for groups

A 15-minute talk you can give

1. Open (2 min). Ask: “Who here has had a strange call or text this month?” Most hands go up. Scammers are professionals, and being targeted isn’t anyone’s fault.
2. The three signs (4 min). Rush (“act now”), secret (“don’t tell your family”), and strange payment (gift cards, crypto, wire, cash courier). Any one of them means stop.
3. Practice (5 min). Read the three examples below aloud. Ask the room: which signs do you see? What would you do?
4. The one rule (2 min). Before you pay, click or call back, ask first: a family member, a friend, or a free checker.
5. Close (2 min). Hand out the fridge card. Suggest each family picks a code word this week.

Practice examples to read aloud

“Grandma, it’s me. I’m in trouble and I need $3,000 for bail. Please don’t tell Mom. The lawyer says you can pay with gift cards.”

“Your package is on hold due to an incomplete address. Update within 24 hours or it will be returned: usps-redelivery-center.top”

“This is your bank’s fraud department. Someone is using your card. To protect your money, move it to a safe account. I’ll text you a code to read back to me.”

All three are scams. Signs: rush, secrecy, gift cards, a fake website, a “safe account”, and asking for a code.

Handout: stop a scam in 3 steps

1. Pause. Real problems can wait 10 minutes. Scammers can’t.
2. Hang up and call back on a number you already trust: the back of your card, a bill, or a family member’s saved number.
3. Ask first. Talk to someone you trust before you pay, click or share anything.

Never pay with gift cards, crypto, wire transfers or cash couriers. Never read out a code sent to your phone.

Free checker: askfirstfamily.com · Lost money? askfirstfamily.com/recover