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The 10-minute scam check

A short routine for the moment a call, text or offer makes you feel rushed. Work through it, save the steps you have completed, then print the page and keep it beside your phone.

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Flat illustration of a checklist with green ticks, a smartphone showing a shield, a padlock and a question mark bubble.
Four parts: pause, check, verify, report.

Part 1 · Your saved steps

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Seven habits that stop most scams

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Part 2 · The routine

What to do in the moment

If a message or call is pressuring you, the order of these four steps matters more than the details.

  1. Pause

    Break the sense of urgency

    Say you need to think about it and end the call, or leave the message unanswered for ten minutes. Nothing legitimate collapses because you took a short pause. A scam almost always depends on you deciding within minutes.

  2. Check

    Look at the payment method and the secret

    Gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfers, cash by courier and payment apps are the methods scammers prefer because they are hard to trace or reverse. A request for secrecy, or for a one-time security code, is equally decisive: stop.

  3. Verify

    Call back on a number you looked up yourself

    Use the number on your bank card, the number on the organisation's official website, or the contact already saved in your phone. Never use the number the caller gives you, and never rely on a link in the message.

  4. Report

    Tell someone and file a report

    If money has moved, call your bank first. Then report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, at IdentityTheft.gov if information was shared, and at ic3.gov if the approach came online. Tell one person you trust, so secrecy does not protect the scammer.

Two things to keep out of reach

Never let a caller keep you on the line while you go to the bank, and never install remote-access software because someone who called you asked. Both requests exist to stop a bank teller or a family member from interrupting the scam.

Part 3 · Keep these

Write your numbers down

Fill this in by hand on the printed copy. A phone number you can trust, kept somewhere offline, is the most reliable tool in this whole guide.

Print the page and fill in the blank fields with a pen, or copy the text version into a note on your own device.
Kept where What to write in
Our bank’s phone number The number printed on the back of your debit or credit card, not the number a caller gives you.
Family code word A word only your family knows, never posted online. Ask for it when a caller claims to be a relative in trouble.
One person to call first A relative, friend or neighbour who will check a message with you without judgement.
Reporting routes ReportFraud.ftc.gov, IdentityTheft.gov, ic3.gov, and your local police non-emergency line.

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The same checklist as a one-page PDF, with space for your code word and your bank’s number. Free, no email address required.

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