Impersonation Scams
Someone you would normally trust — your bank, the IRS, Amazon, a grandchild — except it is not them. Impersonation scams borrow a familiar name to make a demand feel legitimate. The name is the disguise.
Digital Arrest Scam
Someone calls claiming to be police, customs, or a federal agent, says you are implicated in a crime, and keeps you on a video call they will not let you end — sometimes for days. The badge is fake, the warrant is fake, and the isolation is the weapon. It has taken over $350 million in India and is now working through diaspora communities in the US.
Tech Support Scam
A pop-up, email, or call claims your computer is infected and that Microsoft or Apple needs to fix it — for a fee, and with remote access to your machine. None of it is real. Microsoft and Apple do not cold-call you about viruses, and the only thing that gets compromised is whatever you let them touch.
Geek Squad / Best Buy Scam
An email says your Geek Squad membership just auto-renewed for a few hundred dollars and gives you a number to call for a "refund." There is no subscription and no charge. Calling hands you to a scammer who will walk you into giving up bank access to "reverse" it.
Government Impersonation Scam
Someone claims to be the IRS, Social Security, Medicare, or the police and demands immediate payment or your personal details — or else. Real agencies do not open with threats, do not take gift cards or crypto, and do not arrest you over the phone. The pressure is the product.
Amazon Impersonation Scam
A call, text, or email claims there is a problem with your Amazon account, order, or Prime membership, and that you must act now. Amazon does not fix account problems by asking for gift cards, remote access, or your password. The "problem" exists only to get you on the phone.
Bank Impersonation Scam
Someone claiming to be your bank's fraud department says your account is under attack and that you need to move your money somewhere "safe." That somewhere is theirs. A real bank never asks you to transfer funds to protect them — the call itself is the fraud.
Utility Company Scam
A caller claims to be the electric, gas, or water company and says your service will be cut off within the hour unless you pay right now, usually by gift card or app. Utilities do not run hour-long ultimatums or take gift cards. The clock is fake; it exists to stop you from thinking.
Grandparent Scam
The phone rings and it is a grandchild in trouble — an accident, an arrest, a hospital — who needs money now and begs you not to tell their parents. The secrecy is the giveaway. AI voice cloning has made the voice convincing; the demand for silence and speed has not changed.
Medicare & Health Insurance Scam
Callers posing as Medicare, an insurer, or a health agency try to pull your Medicare number, bill for care you never received, or sell you fake plans and equipment. Your Medicare number is as sensitive as your Social Security number — guard it. Medicare does not cold-call to sell you things.
Recovery & Refund Scam
The cruelest one: it targets people who have already been scammed. A "recovery agent," lawyer, or official promises to claw your lost money back for an upfront fee — and simply takes more. Legitimate recovery is never sold by cold-callers demanding payment first. Being a victim once makes you a marked target, not a likely refund.
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