Scams come by phone, text, email and pop-up, but they follow the same playbook. If you see any of these, stop.
- They pretend to be someone you know. The government, your bank, a utility or a tech company. Caller ID can be faked.
- There's a problem or a prize. You owe money, an account is locked, a relative is in trouble, or you won something but must pay a fee.
- They rush you. Act now, don't hang up, or you'll be arrested or lose your account.
- They want a specific kind of payment. Gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency or a payment app.
- They ask for personal information you didn't expect to give. Honest organizations won't call, email or text to ask for your Social Security, bank or card numbers.
- They say your computer has a problem. Real security pop-ups never ask you to call a phone number, and real tech companies won't contact you about a virus.
Not sure? Stop and talk to someone you trust. Contact the company using a number or website you already know is real, not one they gave you.
If that didn't work: See our full guides: Scary pop-up says your computer is infected, Someone called saying they're from Microsoft or Apple and Is this text or email a scam?
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Last reviewed: October 2026.