dimewisdom

Scams and fraud, in plain English

Every scam has red flags. Learn to see them in seconds.

Plain-English guides to the texts, calls and offers built to take your money, the simple habits that stop them, and exactly what to do if something already went wrong.

Check a message Get scam-proof

Text messageUnknown number

ALERT: Your bank account is locked. Verify within 1 hour or it will be closed: secure-acct-verify.co

  1. 1A problem you didn't know about
  2. 2Pressure to act right now
  3. 3A link that isn't your bank's real website

Don't tap. Call the number on the back of your card.

A made-up example. Real banks don't ask you to log in through a link in a text.

Start with one of these

ToolScam red-flag checkerTick the warning signs and see what to do next. ChecklistScam SafetySixteen steps that make you much harder to scam. GuideWhere to reportYour bank, the FTC, IC3 and more, in order.

15 scam and fraud guides

Common scams

Payments and banking

Identity and accounts

If it happens

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The Scam Defense Workbook

Write down the real numbers to call, lock down your accounts, pick a family code word, and know exactly what to do in the first hour if something goes wrong.

Get the free PDFSee the Scam Safety checklist

Coming soon

A scam plan the whole family shares

Family Safety Plan: a printable kit with a family code word, a verify-first contact list, account security steps and what-to-do-if pages, so everyone knows what to do when a scary call comes in.

$9 once, for the whole family. 30-day refund.

See what's in the plan