Financial scams are among the most common crimes affecting U.S. adults, with 15% saying at least one member of their household has fallen prey.

Scams can come from all kids of different directions, but our phones, computers, and other online connection points leave us particularly vulnerable. They all represent opportunities for scammers to reach us from afar.

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), there are four things that most scams have in common:

  1. Scammers pretend to be from an organization you know.
  2. Scammers say there’s a problem or a prize.
  3. Scammers pressure you to act immediately.
  4. Scammers tell you to pay in a specific way.
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Among the top recommendations from the Federal Trade Commission to avoid scams, is to block unwanted calls and text messages.

DON'T ANSWER CALLS FROM THESE PHONE NUMBERS

Here are scammer phone numbers that are known by government agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission.

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Photo by pixelshot on Canva
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AT&T Raffle Winner Scam

These calls will likely say you've won the lottery or some other prize. They ask for a small fee or taxes to send your winnings.


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Photo by pixelshot on Canva
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Bank Account Temporarily on Hold Scam

Someone contacts you claiming your bank account has been placed on hold due to suspicious activity, and then asks you to provide sensitive information like your account number, password, or social security number to 'reactivate' it.


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Card Lock Scam

You are told that your credit card or debit card has been locked and are asked to provide your card number to have it unlocked.


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Debit Card Frozen Scam

A scammer contacts you claiming your debit card has been frozen due to suspicious activity and asks you to provide personal information like your card number, PIN, or other sensitive details to 'unfreeze' it.


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Failed Delivery Attempt Scam

The scammers might text and say that you missed a delivery attempt and ask you to click on a link and provide personal information to reschedule the delivery.


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Fake Publishers Clearing House Win Scam

This is a scam that attempts to trick you into sending money to the scammer. PCH will never call to notify you that you've won a prize. If you receive a call claiming to be from PCH, you should hang up immediately. 


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Student Loan Forgiveness Scam

You might get a call from someone saying they’re affiliated with Federal Student Aid (FSA) or the Department of Education. (They’re not.) They’ll say need know things about your loan, like the balance or your account number, and they’ll try to rush you into acting by saying the program is available for a limited time.


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Weight Loss & Delivery Scam

This is fraudulent scheme where companies call and promise miracle weight loss, and then trick customers into signing up for automatic recurring deliveries, making it difficult to cancel and resulting in unexpected and often high charges on their credit card.


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Wells Fargo Text Message Scam

A fraudulent text message that appears to be from Wells Fargo, often asking for personal information like account numbers, passwords, or one-time codes, with the goal of stealing your money. The bank will never request such information via text message.


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Unpaid Taxes Scam

Scam artists are pretending to be IRS officials to get your money. They'll call claiming you owe back taxes or there's a problem with your tax return. They even rig caller ID to make their call look official.


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United States Postal Service Scam

Similar to the 'Failed Delivery Attempt' scam, the bad guys text you a link, with the hopes that you'll click on it and provide personal information.


 

If you or someone you know has been a victim of a scam or fraud scheme, report it to ic3.gov, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.

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