Another example of how Americans live in constant fear of being scammed. Not only by the giant corporations, but by the grassroots criminals that populate this land. And neither the government, nor your bank will help when you fall victim. The only help you get is advice on the Internet asking you to become proficient in criminal strategies in order to avoid future scams, when the last one completely obliterated your savings.
What no one tells you is that the miracles of technology are the cause in the crime epidemic. Everybody wants you to use credit cards, debit cards, apps, etc.... Everybody, from the government to the stores and the banks want you to use technology and are fighting the cash economy because that is how they collect your personal information and you banking information, which they use to control you and your spending habits. But what they don't tell you is any criminal out there with some tech savvy can also take hold of your information and ruin your life.
I never go through the Houston Airport. It is one of the worst airports in the country. No one there takes cash, so you can't have a meal between flights unless you swipe your personal information into the screens set up in front of every chair, every seat. There is no "screen-free" place to escape to. Using cash has become like smoking: banned... If you request to pay cash, they'll look at you like you're some mutant from outer space. There's no escape. It's a trap. And they know it.
Whatever happened to the "choice" mantra? Why can't I be given the option to pay in the manner I choose?
I have a credit card and a debit card, but I rarely use them. I use cash almost always. I even still write checks. I don't shop online. I still use ther mail. I never ever use my cell phone to make purchases of any kind. Reduce all your unnecessary buying of junk that ends up piling up in your house or your cellar. Stick to the essentials. Don't fall for the upcoming sales orgies (all the crappy Holidays we are made to believe are an obligatory annual ritual) that push you into spending your money. It's OK to appear old-fashioned, and I refuse to use constantly changing technology that constantly threatens my safety and wellbeing.
Protect yourself: Starve the monster.
I recently received a letter from a no-letterhead financial entity (Cardmember service with a PO BOX address in Fargo, North Dakota) telling me that someone might have used my personal information to request a credit card from Elan Financial Services. The letter said I should call to validate whether or not it was me who requested the card. It sounded suspicious. I had never before done any business with any of these two institutions.
Somewhere on the Internet, I found that Elan had some vague relationship with US Bank with whom I also never had any business.
I did not call. Instead, I wrote back saying it was not me and that they should please not issue a card, failing which I will hold them responsible for any losses I incur. A few days later, I received a 5-page form from that same Cardmember service asking everything you could think of about me, my personal information, my social security number, literally everything.
I immediately contacted The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and filed a complaint against both US Bank and ELAN with copies of everything. The CFPB sent a copy of the complaint to the two entities asking them for clarification. Eventually, I did receive a letter from the two "banks" saying they had canceled the credit card application.... and notified the Credit Reporting agencies.
Donald Dumb has been fighting the CFPB, probably under pressure from the banking industry, with the goal of reducing "regulations", which means to allow them to get away with such practices. Google "Donald Trump and the CFPB" and you'll get "Donald Trump has taken significant steps to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), including attempts to lay off most of its staff and reduce its regulatory powers. This has raised concerns about the agency's ability to protect consumers from unfair financial practices."
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/banking-law/trump-signs-repeals-of-cfpb-overdraft-digital-payment-rules
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/09/trump-big-beautiful-bill-slashes-cfpb-funding-what-it-means.html
Yup, he's Making Scamerica Great Again.
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Example 1:
Scammers are staking out Americans' front doors in a wily new debit card scheme — how the scam works and what to do
Maurie Backman
Tue, October 28, 2025
You may think that credit cards are the payment method most targeted by financial fraudsters, but that’s not true. It’s, in fact, debit cards that fraudsters pursue most — and the number of cases involving them keeps increasing, according to a Federal Reserve survey of financial institutions. And the reasons why this may leave you more vulnerable to financial loss may also surprise you.
When you think of debit card scams, you might imagine people having their debit cards physically stolen or their card numbers and PINs skimmed. But there are other debit card scams on the rise that are even more complex. And, as with other scams, having information on how they work may mean the difference between keeping your finances in tact and becoming the next fraud victim.
The latest debit card scam to keep on your radar
As the Detroit Free Press recently reported, new debit card scams are popping up and gaining momentum. One of the most bizarre ones starts with banking customers being warned that there's a problem with their account, which is a common theme for financial scams.
Next, victims are told to destroy their debit cards but leave the chip on the front of the card intact for security purposes. The scammers then steal the chips by sending a "bank representative" out to pick up the destroyed cards with the chips intact and use social engineering to get the PIN numbers needed to use the cards. With the chip and the PIN, they can then steal funds from the victim’s bank account.
Of course, debit card fraud isn’t the only thing consumers have to worry about. Check fraud has also been on the rise, increasing 10% in 2024 from the prior year.
The Independent Community Bankers of America has been working with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service to educate customers on check fraud via handouts at different banking locations.
Why debit card fraud leaves you more financially vulnerable
Financial fraud is a problem in general, although, as a consumer, you may be at risk of greater losses if your debit card or checking account is targeted.
Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, consumers are limited to $50 in losses for fraudulent credit card transactions that are reported within 60 days. However, most credit cards offer full protection, meaning if your card is stolen or used by a criminal, you probably won't lose a dime.
Debit cards don't typically offer the same protection. When your debit card is stolen or accessed by a criminal, the money comes out of your account immediately.
If you report the fraud within two business days, you're limited to $50 in losses. If you report the fraud after two days and within 60 days, you're limited to $500 in losses — not an insignificant amount. Worse yet, if you report the fraud after 60 days, you could lose the entire sum that was stolen from you.
With checks, timeframes vary. The law says consumers have a year to report check fraud, but there is some leeway. For example, many banks require notification within 30 days, while others expect to be alerted within 14 days after the bank statement was sent out. (5)
How to protect yourself against debit card fraud
As a consumer, it's important to take steps to protect yourself against debit card and check fraud. That includes knowing about the latest scams, including the one mentioned above.
But that doesn't mean a criminal won't try to steal your money another way. Perhaps they could steal a replacement debit card from you in the mail or steal checks you've written, altering the payee and cashing them.
One option you could look at for protection is to install a mailbox lock where the incoming mail slot remains accessible while the storage part remains locked to anyone who doesn't have the key. That could prevent a criminal from getting into your mail while allowing a mail carrier to deliver it.
You can also install a security camera outside your home that covers the area of your mailbox. However, this may only offer limited benefits. If a criminal is going to steal your mail, chances are they’re going to wear enough gear to mask their identity.
For debit cards, other fraud prevention methods include always knowing where your card is, covering the keypad when you enter your PIN and, when buying things online, making sure you shop on a legitimate, secure site while avoiding public WiFi networks.
In addition, look out for loose components on debit card readers at merchants. That could be an indication that a machine has been tampered with and a skimmer has been installed.
Other tips include monitoring your bank account regularly to check for fraudulent transactions and never responding to an unsolicited call, email or text that appears to be from your bank. If you have a concern, call your bank directly or visit a local branch.
Also, never give out your account or PIN over the phone. The same goes for your Social Security number (or other personal sensitive information as a general rule). Having this information could make it easy for a criminal to steal money from your account, and in some cases, steal your identity.
When it comes to checks, fraud prevention methods include writing checks with permanent markers or having them sent electronically from your bank. With the latter, there's a record with your bank of the intended payee, so it may be easier to prove that fraud has occurred.
It's also a good idea to bring checks to a post office and have them mailed out directly rather than leaving them in your mailbox to be picked up by a mail carrier. Of course, delivering checks in person is another secure option.
Ultimately, prevention is your greatest defense, so be proactive in learning about the latest safety measures and how scammers try to circumvent them.
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Example 2:
Terrifying high-tech bank scam drains your life savings in seconds — and ‘devastated’ victims are sounding the alarm
Asia Grace
Mon, October 27, 2025
Owing to the prevalence of AI and spoofing technologies, authorities advise people against trusting the numbers on their caller IDs or the voices on the other end of the line.
Noel Phillips can’t believe he was cleaned out so quickly — and easily.
The New York millennial was bled dry earlier this year by a group of scammers who used phone number-spoofing technology — software used to misleadingly alter caller ID information — to empty his bank account, taking all of his life savings, totaling nearly $30,000.
“It’s devastating,” Phillips, 33, a journalist and an NYC transplant from London, exclusively told The Post. “I can still hear the voices of the people who called me, posing as employees of Chase Bank, claiming there had been fraudulent activity on my account.”
“They used fear tactics to basically hypnotize me into handing over all the money I’d worked so hard to earn and save over the last four years,” he added.
Deborah Moss, a 65-year-old caterer from Northern California, was previously thunderstruck by a similar wave of devastation when an imposter targeted her, draining her Chase account of a shocking $162,000 in 2020.
“I started screaming like you wouldn’t believe,” Moss recently told The Post. “I was, like, ‘Oh, my f—king God.’ I was just hysterical. That was all my money.”
Phillips, who’d just quit his job before being scammed out of his life savings, says he’s desperately tried to track down the fraudsters. Tamara Beckwith/N.Y.Post
That’s the sinister trickery of business imposter scams, which have been on a steady rise, outpacing romance scams, family and friend scams and tech support scams over the past five years.
The crime now ranks as the No.1 consumer complaint of 2025, per data provided to The Post by the Federal Trade Commission.
As of late June, the FTC, which protects folks from deceptive and unjust business practices, has been inundated with over 516,000 imposter scam complaints — totaling almost $1.7 million in losses.
To get their paws on a target’s money, imposter scammers often call — or email, text or direct message — a victim, pretending to be a representative from a trusted, established company. They typically claim that there’s been some sort of privacy breach or unauthorized dealings on their account.
After spinning a falsified yarn about an alleged faux pas, the wolves in sheep’s clothing create a sense of urgency and panic about the situation, convincing their prey to hastily transfer large sums of money or divulge personal information to avoid any further malfeasance.
But in reality, they’re the bad guys, siphoning cash and info for their own greedy gain.
And imposter scammers don’t limit their villainy to masquerading as reps for financial institutions like Bank of America or TD Bank — just two of the corporations that Upper East Side granny Nina Mortellito, 86, is suing in New York state court, alleging they failed to protect her from a $700,000 con.
In August 2023, she was allegedly targeted via a pop-up window that falsely warned that her bank accounts were about to be hacked, according to a lawsuit filed earlier this month.
Over the course of nine months, Mortellito, who suffers from age-related memory issues, was allegedly convinced by fraudsters to make a series of unusual withdrawals, totaling anywhere from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars, from Merrill Lynch, TD Bank and UBS accounts, according to court papers.
Although the banks were aware she was vulnerable to scammers, they didn’t raise any alarms, the lawsuit charged.
The Post has reached out to Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, TD Bank and UBS for comment.
Robert Georges, Mortellito’s attorney, told The Post he’s inundated with bank imposter fraud cases from victims plagued with “devastation, embarrassment, confusion and upset” following the violation.
“There’s this fear about how they’re going to live without their life savings,” he added. “This is a well-known epidemic in America. All the banks are aware that this is a major problem, but we don’t feel that banks are doing a reasonable job to protect people. We’re bringing these lawsuits to hopefully effect change.”
Mortellito and her lawyer are seeking unspecified damages against the banks, whom they’re suing for negligence, The Post previously reported.
In addition to impersonating bankers in the name of fraud, ne’er-do-wells also commonly pose as customer service staffers for popular retailers, delivery service couriers or utility company workers, just to name a few.
Christopher Brown, a lawyer with the FTC’s Division of Marketing Practices, calls the swindles “sophisticated” and credits the prevalence of artificial intelligence with helping fraudsters seem legitimate.
“AI can certainly amplify the scams, making them more believable,” Brown told The Post, noting the multitude of AI-powered spoofing and voice-hijacking tools available to perps. “They’re trying to gain your trust, making you believe they are who they’re claiming to be.”
The Federal Communications Commission reports that US consumers receive approximately 4 billion spoofed calls, including automated robocalls, from money-hungry scammers each month.
To combat the crisis, the FCC recently implemented its STIR/SHAKEN framework. It’s an industry-standard caller ID authentication technology that validates the legitimacy of calls, allowing the phone company of the receiver to verify that a call is, in fact, from the number displayed on the caller ID.
Still, tech-savvy scoundrels manage to circumvent the blocks. Brown encourages folks to remain vigilant.
“Don’t [automatically] trust the caller ID because it might be spoofed,” he said. “And you should not provide financial information to someone who calls you out of the blue.”
It’s a mistake Phillips, who lives in East New York, wishes he could undo.
Just seconds before getting a phone call from would-be wrongdoers, he’d received an alert from his Chase app, claiming an unauthorized transaction of $500 had been withdrawn from his account.
“The timing of the call was immaculate,” said Phillips. “After they explained that my account had [been hacked], I immediately asked, ‘Well, how do I know you’re Chase Bank?’ Then I hung up, Googled the number for Chase, and it was the same number that had called me.”
But the thieves had spoofed the bank’s phone number and immediately called back from it. He answered — and that would ultimately change his life for the worse.
The Brooklynite remembers talking to at least five different people pretending to be bank staffers and law enforcement agents. “They proceeded to tell me that my account was under attack, and that they suspected employees at my local branch had stolen my personal details,” he recalled. “They said they’d launched an investigation, and that I needed to move my money into a hidden or ‘decoy’ account that already had my name on it.”
Phillips began panicking.
There wasn’t just one voice scaring him into submission — there were at least five, even people posting as law enforcement.
“There was the ambient sounds of a call center,” added Phillips, now realizing the background faux noise was likely an AI sound effect tool.
“And everyone had solid American accents,” remembered the Brit. “So I’m thinking, ‘OK, this is not the typical call from abroad. This is legitimate.’”
The “devastating” realization that he’d just fallen victim to an imposter fraud was almost too difficult for Phillips to bear. Tamara Beckwith/N.Y.Post
After being transferred from one hustler to another, Phillips was instructed to go to his local Chase branch and transfer his money into several “decoy” accounts they’d created, instructing him not to disclose to any bank employees the reason for doing so.
The scammers “were very good at manipulating me and telling me what to do,” Phillips lamented. “While at the bank, I secretly had them listening to everything that was happening through my ear pods.”
It wasn’t until the final dollars of his $30K nest egg — cash he’d stashed for extended getaways to Thailand and England — were transferred that Phillips realized he’d been had.
It was an agonizing aha moment.
“I remember feeling so wounded,” said Phillips. “My entire world just came crashing down within the few minutes it took to walk into the bank. I was completely devastated.”
California-based victim Moss was targeted by a fraudster who referred to herself as “Miss Barbara,” a rep for the bank, who called claiming that Moss’ ATM card had been compromised and that she’d be issued a new one in the mail.
Miss Barbara, a sweet-sounding Southern belle, already had Moss’ phone number, address and banking information. The chiseler claimed that all she needed from Moss was a three-digit code that she’d received via text from the bank.
An unwitting Moss recited the code to Barbara, not realizing that those numbers were actually granting the bilker authorization to make a $32,000 wire transfer from her account.
And that was just the first grab.
Barbara called Moss for more than a week, each time claiming that her ATM card had been lost in the mail, and asking her to read off the new three-digit code she’d been messaged.
After more than 10 calls, an admittedly “annoyed” Moss, who’d just relocated to a rural area with her partner, took the 40-minute trip into town to get a new card at a Chase branch.
However, instead of a piece of plastic, the entrepreneur was given the shock of her life — and almost no sympathy.
“The bank manager pulled up my account and said, ‘There’s no money in your account, whatsoever. As a matter of fact, in the last week, you’ve [accrued a] $989 deficit that you owe us,’” she recalled, alleging that the worker threatened to have her removed from the premises if she didn’t stop screaming.
“I went to the cops, and they pretty much laughed in my face,” Moss claimed. “They said, ‘Oh, man, forget it. You’ll never get that money back.’ They didn’t do anything. There was no investigation.”
Phillips alleges having a similarly unpleasant interaction with the New York Police Department immediately after being victimized.
“I remember walking into the police station the same day this happened. I told an officer I’d been scammed out of thousands,” said the London native. “He laughed really loud and said, ‘You’re f—ked.’”
“I was in disbelief,” said Phillips, adding that he’s more recently been contacted with an investigator, who allegedly “apologized” for his colleague’s conduct, and mapped out a plan to subpoena Chase for any information regarding the bank’s accounts in which monies were transferred.
When contacted by The Post, a spokesperson for the NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner, Public Information provided the following statement:
“There is a report on file for grand larceny, within the confines of the 75 Precinct. It was reported to police that on July 21, 2025, at approximately 08:00, a 33-year-old male received a call from an unknown individual claiming to work for Chase Bank who stated to the male that his account was compromised. The victim then transferred approximately $23,700 to two accounts that belonged to unknown individuals. There are no arrests, and the investigation remains ongoing. Anyone who has been the victim of an apparent scam is encouraged to report it to the police so that detectives can conduct a complete and thorough investigation.”
Both Phillips and Moss separately claimed to The Post that Chase also failed to offer them any support toward bringing their respective vandals to justice or recovering their stolen funds.
“The bigger injustice than a scammer stealing money is when your bank doesn’t help customers who fall victim to such a crime,” said Phillips, noting that in the UK, financial institutions repay victims of fraud up to £85,000 (approximately $113,000).
Financial institutions in the US, however, are generally not required to reimburse victims of bank fraud under federal law, per the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress.
“In America, the last thing you expect is for your bank to turn its back on you,” he griped, underscoring how “stupid” he’s been made to feel for falling victim to fraud. Phillips is considering taking legal action against Chase.
“All my money is gone, and there’s no guarantee that I’ll ever get it back,” he said.
A spokesperson for Chase declined to comment on the specifics of either Phillips’ or Moss’ claims.
However, they did share advice for avoiding similar attacks.
“Scammers are increasingly using technology like phone spoofing to impersonate trusted institutions,” the rep told The Post, “which is why we regularly remind everyone your bank will never call and ask for your account information, tell you to transfer money to ‘protect’ it, insist you lie to bankers about a transaction, or pressure you to act immediately.”
“If you encounter any of these red flags — whether by phone, text, email or online — hang up and call the number on the back of your card.”
The tips would have been helpful to Moss at the time of her violation. But even without them, she miraculously recovered every penny of her stolen funds — no thanks to the bank or law enforcement.
The six-figure sum came from a random good Samaritan.
“My story made national news, and I got a call from this lady who said, ‘I saw your story on TV, and I want to write you a check for $162,000,’” recalled Moss. “I didn’t know her. It was totally crazy.”
The kindly stranger — who Moss chose not to identify for privacy — was an elderly, wealthy woman from Napa County, California. She had no hidden agendas, nor any expectation for reimbursement.
She just wanted to do the right thing, says Moss, adding that the check was like manna from heaven that restored her faith in humanity.
“[The woman and I] don’t talk much,” she confessed. “But I write her every New Year, telling her she’s changed my life.
“And I’ll do that until the day I die.”
Here are Chase Bank’s tips for avoiding imposter scams
Owing to the prevalence of AI and spoofing technologies, authorities advise people against trusting the numbers on their caller IDs or the voices on the other end of the line. NY Post Design
Do not respond to phone, text or internet requests for money or access to your computer or bank accounts. Banks will never call, text or email asking for you to send money to yourself or anyone else to prevent fraud.
If you receive a call from someone claiming to be from your bank, the best thing to do is hang up immediately and call your bank at the number on the back of your debit or credit card.
A bank will never call and ask you to verify information about your account, but we may need to verify information when you call us.
Consider adding a call protector app to your phone to flag calls that are likely scams. Set up a code word with your close circle and always confirm callers by contacting them back on a phone number you know to be theirs.
Chase Credit Journey offers free credit and identity monitoring, including alerts to let you know if your personal information is exposed in a data breach or on the dark web. You don’t have to be a Chase customer to use it.
The bank also hosts more than 1,000 free, open-to-the-public workshops focused on fraud and scam prevention at branches annually, an average of three per day.
If you feel you’ve been scammed, contact your bank to discuss how to best protect your banking information and verify recent transactions to ensure no fraudulent activity on your account. Report the incident to the FTC at ftc.gov/complain
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Example 3:
There’s a new ‘high-pressure’ Social Security scam targeting US seniors — here’s how to spot it and protect yourself
Will Kenton
Mon, October 27, 2025
Suspicious elderly man with phone at home.
We’re always warned to keep our Social Security number secret, but what if you were told it wasn’t?
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for the Social Security Administration is warning seniors about a new scam that uses fake U.S. Supreme Court letterhead and forged signatures from Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Sonia Sotomayor to pressure recipients into sending money or personal financial information to the scammer.
The “high-pressure” scam letter is usually personally addressed to the target and tells them that they are a primary suspect in legal proceedings that involve criminal charges.
The letter may use the name of a real SSA executive to appear legitimate. It falsely claims that the recipient’s Social Security number has been compromised due to identity theft and that the SSA will issue a new one.
The scammers warn that the U.S. Supreme Court has ordered banks to freeze the recipient’s assets and that they cannot hold more than $10,000 in any account or $80,000 to $100,000 in investments.
It further threatens that the recipient will be fully liable for any losses tied to the suspension of their Social Security number. Scammers often follow up these letters with phone calls or text messages to continue the fraud.
“Scammers continue to exploit fear and confusion by impersonating government agencies and officials,” said Michelle L. Anderson, the SSA OIG's Acting Inspector General. “These criminals are falsely accusing an individual of a crime and using federal agencies and federal officials to try to scare and legitimize their scam — if you get this type of letter, rip it up and report it. Be aware of any variations of this scam.”
Imposter scams
This is just the latest in a series of scams targeting retirees.
The SSA OIG has also flagged a related tactic that uses U.S. mail to send letters about a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) or other benefit change. The letter tells you to call a toll-free number to “activate” the increase. Scammers design the letter to mirror real SSA letterhead.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says the number of reports of scams where older adults lost $10,000 or more increased more than fourfold from 2020 to 2024. Where older adults lost more than $100,000, the number of reports increased nearly sevenfold, and the combined reported losses went up eightfold.
“Some people 60+ have reported emptying their bank accounts and even clearing out their 401ks,” said the FTC. “While younger people report losing money to these imposters too, reports of losses in the tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars are much more likely to be filed by older adults.”
Imposter scams are not new. Many arrive by phone, text, or email. The SSA and FTC track variants that push you to click a link to “claim benefits,” download a fake “security update tool,” or open bogus “statements.”
The new twist is the use of Supreme Court letterhead and criminal accusations to magnify urgency. It also relies on paper mail that looks formal. That presentation can disarm cautious readers who know to ignore random texts or calls.
Losses from fraud are rising. The FTC reports consumers lost more than 12.5 billion dollars to fraud in 2024, a 25% increase, with imposter scams being the most commonly reported scam category.
How to protect yourself and your loved ones from scams
Scammers may already know some of your personal information. They tend to create urgency, demand secrecy, and push untraceable payments like gift cards, crypto, wire transfers, cash by mail, or gold. Legitimate SSA staff will never threaten arrest, suspend your number, promise benefits in exchange for payment, or ask you to pay in those ways.
Social Security’s Office of the Inspector General recommends seniors should immediately stop and think whenever they get a distressing or unusual communication that looks suspicious. Talk to someone you trust before paying, and you can stay up to date on the latest scam warnings and tactics by following SSA OIG on social media. You can also report Social Security-related scams on the agency’s website.
Always be suspicious of unexpected communications, especially ones that push a sense of urgency and emergency. According to the FTC, even though scams start with a letter or an email, the goal is to get the victim on the phone, which is the best way to dial up reason-debilitating fear. And keeping the victim on the phone until they have handed over important financial information keeps the mark from being able to contact someone who could verify the scammers’ information.
Two important steps recommended by the FTC are “don’t move money to protect it” and “hang up and verify.” Scammers often create urgency to trick people into acting quickly. Instead, hang up immediately and contact the company or government agency directly using a verified phone number or website.
Never rely on contact information provided in pop-ups, texts, or emails, as these are common tools used by scammers to appear legitimate. When any “official” notice arrives, find the agency’s number yourself and call to verify before doing anything.
If a letter mentions criminal charges, immediate payment, secrecy, or non-traceable payment methods, treat it as a scam and report it. For mail-based scams, loop in the Postal Inspection Service.
If you shared data, place a fraud alert or credit freeze and begin identity theft recovery steps right away.
For tech-savvy loved ones of vulnerable seniors, you can help by turning on multi-factor authentication and saving the SSA OIG reporting page and the FTC reporting page in the browser.
In recent years, scammers have grown more aggressive, often targeting older adults they assume are less familiar with technology. The best defense is to stay calm, pause before reacting, and verify any suspicious message or request before taking action.
