Most reported this week
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Gift card refund scam
How it works
After a first scam drains your account, a second caller claims to be the bank, Amazon, or a "fraud recovery agent" who can get your money back — as long as you buy more gift cards or share remote access to "reverse" the transfer. It's the same criminals coming back for a second bite.
Amazon account closure text
How it works
A text claims your Amazon account will be locked or charged for a large order unless you click a link to confirm or cancel. The link goes to a fake sign-in page that captures your username, password, and credit card.
Tech support pop-up with a "Microsoft" number
How it works
A full-screen pop-up with sirens and warning text takes over your browser, claiming your computer is infected. It gives a toll-free number for "Microsoft support." The person who answers asks for remote access, then charges hundreds of dollars to "fix" nothing.
Medicare card replacement scam
How it works
A caller claims to be from Medicare and says your old paper card needs to be replaced with a new plastic or chip card. To process the swap, they ask you to "verify" your Medicare number, Social Security number, and sometimes a bank account for a small shipping fee. Real Medicare will never call you out of the blue for this.
Social Security number "suspension" robocall
How it works
You get a recorded call saying your Social Security number has been suspended due to "suspicious activity" and warning you to press 1 or face arrest. When you press 1, a real person pretends to be a federal agent and demands gift cards or a wire transfer to "reinstate" your number.
AI voice cloning of a family member
How it works
Scammers lift a short clip of a relative's voice from TikTok, Facebook, or a voicemail greeting and feed it to a voice-cloning service. They call you pretending to be that relative in distress, asking for money wired or handed off to a courier.
Romance plus investment ("pig butchering") combo
How it works
A stranger befriends you on a dating app or sends a "wrong number" text that turns into daily chats. After weeks of trust-building, they introduce a "secret" investment platform — often crypto — and walk you through small deposits that show big fake profits. Eventually they urge you to invest your life savings.
Investment or crypto "guaranteed return" pitch
How it works
An ad, Facebook message, or friend-of-a-friend on WhatsApp pitches an investment platform promising 3-10% returns per day. Early "profits" show up on a fake dashboard to lure more money. When you try to withdraw, you're told to pay taxes or fees first — and the platform eventually disappears.
Grandparent emergency scam with AI voice cloning
How it works
A caller sounds exactly like your grandchild in tears, claiming they were in a car accident, arrested, or stranded overseas. They beg you not to tell their parents and hand the phone to a "lawyer" or "bail bondsman" who needs money wired or sent by gift card immediately. The voice may be cloned from a few seconds of social media audio.
Utility shutoff threat with gift card demand
How it works
A caller says your electric, gas, or water is being shut off in the next hour for an unpaid bill, unless you run to a store and buy prepaid cards. Real utilities give written notice weeks in advance and never accept gift cards.
USPS "package held — schedule redelivery" text
How it works
A text says a USPS package is waiting for you but needs an address confirmation or a small redelivery fee. The link leads to a fake USPS site that captures your address, card number, and sometimes your Social Security number.
Publishers Clearing House imposter
How it works
A caller says you've won millions from Publishers Clearing House but need to pay taxes, fees, or insurance up front to release the prize. Real PCH never contacts winners asking for money — they show up at the door with the balloons and camera crew unannounced.
Fake Apple or Microsoft security alert
How it works
An email or calendar invite warns that your iCloud, Microsoft 365, or Apple ID has been "compromised" and asks you to click a button to secure it. The linked page looks real and captures your password and two-factor code.
Fake IRS back-taxes threat
How it works
A caller claiming to be an IRS agent says you owe back taxes and will be arrested, deported, or have your driver's license suspended unless you pay today — usually by gift card, wire, or cryptocurrency.
QR code skimmer on parking meters and signs
How it works
Scammers slap a fake QR code sticker over the real one on parking meters, restaurant tables, or event posters. Scanning it takes you to a lookalike payment site that steals your card number and often signs you up for recurring charges.
Romance scam on dating apps and Facebook
How it works
Someone you meet on Tinder, Match, or Facebook quickly moves the chat off the app, showers you with affection, and avoids video calls. Weeks or months later they face a medical emergency, a stuck shipment, or a business crisis and ask you to send money — often repeatedly.
Zelle "friend in need" scam
How it works
A friend's hacked email or social account sends a message asking you to send $300 by Zelle to cover an emergency — promising to repay tomorrow. Zelle transfers are instant and extremely difficult to claw back once sent.
Fake job offer with check washing
How it works
An "employer" hires you sight-unseen and mails a check to buy a home office setup or gift cards for "clients." The check clears at first, but bounces later — and you've already wired or spent the money. Your account is now overdrawn.
Sweepstakes "you won" fee scam
How it works
A letter or email says you've won a car, cruise, or cash prize, and includes a real-looking check to "cover taxes and fees." You're told to deposit the check and wire back the fees. The check bounces days later, leaving you on the hook for the full amount.
Utility "overpayment" refund scam
How it works
A caller claims you overpaid your electric or water bill and is processing a refund — but needs your routing and account number, or a prepaid card, to send it. Real utilities credit any overpayment to your next bill or mail a check.
Fake Medicare brace or DNA kit offer
How it works
A robocall or booth at a health fair offers "free" back braces, knee braces, or cancer-screening DNA kits — all "covered by Medicare." In reality, they bill Medicare fraudulently using your number and you may get items you didn't need, or worse, lose access to the real benefit later.
Fake charity during disasters
How it works
After a hurricane, wildfire, or mass shooting, callers claim to represent the Red Cross, a fire department fund, or a GoFundMe for victims. They pressure you to donate by phone with a credit card or gift card. The money never reaches any real survivor.
Veterans benefits claim scam
How it works
Callers claiming to be "VA claim specialists" offer to increase a veteran's disability rating or expedite a benefits claim for an upfront fee or a cut of the back pay. Charging for help with a VA claim is illegal unless the person is a VA-accredited representative.
Reverse mortgage cold call
How it works
A caller pitches a "no-risk" reverse mortgage to pull cash from your home, then pressures you into signing documents quickly. Some versions hand the title to a stranger; others load on hidden fees that drain your equity.
Home repair / storm chaser
How it works
After a storm, contractors show up door-to-door offering cheap roof or driveway repairs. They ask for a large cash deposit, do shoddy work (or none), and vanish. Some trick homeowners into signing over insurance checks.
Venmo wrong-number refund trick
How it works
You get a surprise Venmo or Cash App payment from a stranger, then a message saying it was a mistake and asking you to send it back. The "mistake" was paid with a stolen card — when the real owner disputes, Venmo pulls the money back, leaving you out the amount you sent.
Craigslist or Marketplace fake-buyer overpayment
How it works
You list a couch or bike online. A "buyer" sends a cashier's check for more than your asking price and explains the extra is for a mover they'll send. They ask you to wire the difference to the "mover." The check later bounces and you're out both the item and the wired money.
Funeral scam calling after an obituary
How it works
Scammers read local obituaries and call the surviving spouse or adult children claiming the deceased had an unpaid debt, a "final expense" insurance policy, or a package owed to them. Families often pay to make the call stop during a painful time.
Student loan forgiveness scam targeting cosigners
How it works
A caller tells a grandparent or parent who cosigned a student loan that the loan is being "forgiven" — for a small processing fee. Or they claim the cosigner is newly on the hook for a six-figure balance unless they pay a settlement today.
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Where these alerts come from
Sources: FTC Consumer Advice, FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), AARP Fraud Watch Network, BBB Scam Tracker, and official advisories from agencies like the SSA, IRS, VA, HUD, and state attorneys general.
We summarize from public reports. If you were targeted, report at reportfraud.ftc.gov or ic3.gov. For free personal support, call AARP Fraud Watch at 1-877-908-3360.