![]() If you spot a scam, report it to the FTC at and to your state attorney general. Learn more about how to get your money back. No matter how you paid a scammer, the sooner you act, the better. ![]() They often insist that you can only pay in ways that make it tough to get your money back - by wiring money through a company like Western Union or MoneyGram, sending cryptocurrency, using a payment app, or by putting money on a gift card and then giving them the numbers on the back. Scammers tell you to pay in a specific way. A trusted person can help you figure out whether the story is true. Do that especially if you can’t reach the friend or family member who’s supposed to be in trouble. Call someone else in your family or circle of friends, even if the caller said to keep it a secret - or sounds like a loved one.Use a phone number you know is right to call or message the family member or friend who (supposedly) contacted you. ![]() If you don’t feel comfortable hanging up, try asking a question only the real person would know the answer to, like “What kind of dog do you have?” or “Where did you spend Thanksgiving last year?” Hang up - or tell the person you’ll call them right back. Resist the pressure to react and send money immediately.Here’s what to do to verify the person’s identity: If someone calls or sends a message claiming to be a family member or a friend desperate for money, don’t trust the voice on the line - even if it sounds like your family member or friend. What To Do If You Get a Call About a Family Emergency If you get a call like this, you can be sure this is a scam. And they’re counting on you to pay without stopping to check out whether there’s really an emergency. They’re counting on you to act quickly to help your family or friend. The scammers will play with your emotions.They don’t want you talking to other family members and friends and realizing it’s a scam. The scammer might tell you it’s important to keep it secret.The scammer will say it’s urgent and that you’re the only one who can help.What do fake emergency scams have in common? With a short audio clip - maybe from content posted online - and a voice-cloning program, a scammer could call you and sound just like your family member. Some scammers use artificial intelligence (AI) to clone your loved one’s voice.It makes them sound more convincing, and they hope it scares you. Scammers might pretend to be an “ authority figure,” like a fake lawyer, police officer, or doctor working with your family member.Here are other tactics scammers use in fake emergency scams: And sometimes they simply guess.īut they always say you have to pay right away by wiring money through a company like Western Union or MoneyGram, sending cryptocurrency, using a payment app, or by putting money on a gift card and then giving them the numbers on the back. They may know your name, where you live, and other information they could have found on social media sites or by hacking a family member’s email. ![]() The scammer may already know a lot about you or the person they’re pretending to be. Your family member was never in trouble. Slow down.
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