Toll & DMV texts
"Unpaid toll — pay now or lose your license." The link steals your card.
Scam Center
Is this a scam?
Stay informed about the latest scams targeting older adults. Learn how scammers operate, recognize warning signs, and know exactly what to do before you respond.
Featured scam alert
The Florida AI Pet Photo Scam That's Fooling Pet Owners
Scammers scrape photos of lost pets from Facebook, then text owners posing as a shelter or good samaritan demanding a fee. Here is how SAM spots it.
High Risk·Published June 1, 2025·4 min read
Scam alert · FBIRed flags of a scam,
Red flags of a scam,
from the FBI.
FBI Special Agent Rebecca Keithley walks through the warning signs of the most common scams targeting older adults. The same patterns SAM is trained to spot.
Read the FBI story →Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation
Scam guideKnow the pattern.
Know the pattern.
Break the trick.
Scammers reuse the same handful of scripts. Once you see the pattern, you never fall for it. SAM teaches you. One gentle conversation at a time.
The scams SAM sees every day
Know the pattern.
Break the trick.
01
Grandparent Scam
"Grandma, I'm in jail." A cloned voice, urgent bail money, wire transfer.
02
Toll & DMV Text
Fake unpaid-toll and license-suspension texts with a link that steals your card.
03
Medicare Renewal
"Your card is expiring." Medicare never calls asking for personal information.
04
Bank Alert
"Suspicious charge: move your money." Real banks don't ask you to move money.
05
Romance Scam
A soldier overseas. A widowed doctor. Months of trust, then a request for money.
06
Tech Support Popup
A pop-up says your computer is infected. The number leads straight to a scammer.
The grandparent scam
"Grandma, I'm in jail."
A cloned voice. A frantic story. A wire transfer for bail. By the time the family finds out, $9,000 is gone.
SAM hears the urgency, the secrecy, and the wire demand — and flags it before the first dollar moves.
The Medicare call
"Your card is changing."
A polite voice claims Medicare needs your Social Security number to send a new card. Millions of these calls go out every year.
Medicare never calls asking for personal information. SAM knows that. One quick check protects a lifetime of records.
The romance scam
Six months of love. Zero real people.
The photos were AI-generated. The heartbreak wasn't. When families finally learn, they don't know how to bring it up.
SAM does the hard part — gently, privately, and without judgment.
Every scam SAM
helps you spot.
Fake bank alerts
Real banks never ask you to move money to "secure" it.
Gift card demand
No government agency or utility accepts iTunes or Amazon gift cards.
Tech support pop-ups
That scary blue screen with a phone number is always a scam.
Crypto & investment
"Guaranteed returns" doesn't exist. Anyone who says otherwise is lying.
Fake delivery notices
"Package undeliverable — confirm your address" leads to identity theft.
Categories
Full scam database →Every scam, organized.
Phone Scams
Impersonators pretending to be your bank, the IRS, tech support, or a grandchild in trouble.
5 articlesUpdated November 1, 2025
Text Message Scams
Fake delivery, toll, and bank alerts designed to steal payments or logins from a single tap.
2 articlesUpdated November 1, 2025
Email Scams
Fake Microsoft, Apple, PayPal, and invoice emails that trick you into clicking or paying.
2 articlesUpdated November 1, 2025
Romance Scams
Long distance sweethearts, fake military, and inheritance stories that end with a wire transfer.
2 articlesUpdated November 1, 2025
Investment Scams
Crypto, fake advisors, Ponzi schemes, and pig butchering scams targeting retirement savings.
2 articlesUpdated November 1, 2025
Healthcare Scams
Fake Medicare calls, prescription discounts, medical devices, and phony doctors.
3 articlesUpdated November 1, 2025
Government Scams
IRS, Social Security, FBI, DMV, jury duty and court threats that demand immediate payment.
2 articlesUpdated November 1, 2025
Shopping Scams
Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, counterfeit products, and online storefronts that never ship.
2 articlesUpdated November 1, 2025
AI Scams
Cloned voices, deepfake video calls, and AI-written emails impersonating loved ones.
2 articlesUpdated November 1, 2025
Identity Theft
Data breaches, fake account recovery, and identity verification scams that hijack your accounts.
2 articlesUpdated November 1, 2025
Financial Scams
Wire transfers, Zelle, Venmo, gift cards, and crypto requests that drain accounts fast.
2 articlesUpdated November 1, 2025
Employment Scams
Remote job offers, fake recruiters, and payroll scams targeting people looking for work.
2 articlesUpdated November 1, 2025
Travel Scams
Fake vacation rentals, cruise deals, airline refunds, and hotel booking sites.
2 articlesUpdated November 1, 2025
Scam library
Browse all →Scam library.
Travel ScamsHigh Risk
Cruise Refund Scam Calls
A caller offers to refund a cruise you never booked and needs your card to process it.
Published November 1, 2025 · 3 min read
Travel ScamsHigh Risk
Vacation Rental Scams on Airbnb and VRBO
A too-good-to-be-true rental asks you to pay off-platform. The listing does not exist.
Published November 1, 2025 · 3 min read
Employment ScamsHigh Risk
Fake LinkedIn Recruiter Scams
A recruiter offers a great job and asks for personal information or a small fee to get started.
Published November 1, 2025 · 3 min read
Employment ScamsHigh Risk
Fake Remote Job Check Scams
A new employer sends a large check for equipment and asks you to send back the difference.
Published November 1, 2025 · 3 min read
Financial ScamsCritical Risk
The Gift Card Payment Scam
No real business, agency, or family member ever asks to be paid in gift cards.
Published November 1, 2025 · 3 min read
Financial ScamsHigh Risk
Zelle Instant Transfer Scams
Once Zelle money leaves your account, it is nearly impossible to recover. Scammers know this.
Published November 1, 2025 · 3 min read
Identity TheftHigh Risk
Data Breach Followup Scams
After a real breach, scammers call pretending to help you secure your accounts.
Published November 1, 2025 · 3 min read
Identity TheftHigh Risk
Fake Account Recovery Scams
A helpful stranger offers to recover your locked Facebook or email account and steals it instead.
Published November 1, 2025 · 3 min read
AI ScamsHigh Risk
Deepfake Video Call Scams
A video call with your boss, a bank rep, or a family member turns out to be an AI-generated fake.
Published November 1, 2025 · 3 min read
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