The calls that target older people
They are not after the naive. They are after anyone they can hurry.
The three that come back
"There is a problem with your account." A caller who says they are from your bank, and needs you to confirm details or move money to a "safe account". A bank will never ask you to move money anywhere, and never asks for your full password or PIN.
"Your son is in trouble." A call or message about a family member in an accident, arrested, or stranded — needing money now. The urgency and the fear are the whole method.
"You have won" or "you are owed a refund." Anything that requires you to pay a fee, or share your card details, in order to receive money.
One rule that covers all of them
Hang up and call back on a number you already had. The number on your bank card. The family member's own number. Not a number they gave you, and not by pressing redial.
Nobody legitimate will object. A caller who insists you must not hang up has told you exactly what they are.
Take your time
Every one of these depends on speed. There is no real situation where a decision about your own money must be made in the next five minutes.
Say: *"I will call you back."* Then stop, and telephone someone in your family before you do anything.
For the family
If you are reading this for a parent, the useful thing is not a lecture. It is:
- Agree now, in advance, that anything about money gets a second call to you first
- Make sure they have your number saved and know it works
- Tell them that nobody in the family will ever be angry about a call that turned out to be nothing
Being tricked is not a failure of intelligence. These are written and rehearsed by people who do this all day. The only defence anyone has is refusing to hurry.