Something looks wrong. Here's what to do.
A fake site took your card. A text claims to be the IRS. An account you don't recognize is posting as you. These guides are for right now — clear steps, in order, backed by the actual agencies and platforms you'd report to.
I entered my credit card on a fake website.
The urgent first steps: freeze the card, check pending charges, and don't confirm any follow-up call or code.
How to tell if an IRS text message is fake.
The IRS doesn't text you about refunds or penalties. Here's what real scam messages look like, and what to do with one.
How to report a scam website in the US.
What evidence to save, and exactly where it goes: the FTC, the IC3, and the platforms that can actually pull the page down.
Your messaging account got hacked.
Log back in, check linked devices, warn your contacts before they get scammed too, then lock it down for good.
Is this domain fake or suspicious?
HTTPS proves nothing by itself. The real signals: the actual domain, its age, and what the page is asking you for.
Someone's impersonating you on Instagram.
Confirm it's real impersonation, save evidence before the account changes, then report it and warn your contacts.
That call for money might be an AI clone.
A familiar voice isn't proof of identity anymore. Hang up, call back on a known number, and verify before you send anything.
Your Amazon order text is probably fake.
A failed delivery or refund message is the bait. Check your real account before you tap anything.
That PayPal payment might not be real.
A payment that only exists in an email isn't a payment. Verify inside PayPal before you ship anything.
Netflix says your payment failed?
The billing-problem email is one of the most copied phishing templates out there. Here's how to check it safely.
Your Apple ID isn't really locked.
Fear of losing your photos is the hook. Verify through Settings or account.apple.com, never the email link.
That $499 antivirus renewal is a scam.
The invoice is fake — the phone call is the real attack. Don't call, don't install anything, check your account directly.
Verify a charity before you donate after a disaster.
Scammers move as fast as real relief organizations do. Here's how to check where your money actually goes.
Your host wants a transfer outside Airbnb?
Leaving the platform means losing your protection. Verify any payment request through official support first.
Is that Google security alert real?
Check your actual account activity directly — never through the email's own link or button.
The crypto app won't let you withdraw? That's the tell.
A small first withdrawal builds trust before the real trap. Here's how pig butchering actually works.