Don't get fooled. Learn to spot a scam before it costs you.
A free, no-jargon course on today's phone, text, email, and computer scams — including the new ones that use AI to sound and look real.
Remember 5-2
The 5-2 rule. If something feels urgent or strange, hang up. Wait 5 minutes. Then talk to 2 people you trust before you do anything.
Do not rush into anything. Do not act on impulse. A real emergency can wait 5 minutes. A scammer cannot.
Why this matters more than ever
Scams used to be easy to catch — bad spelling, an obviously fake prize. That is changing.
What's in this course
Move through it in any order, or start at the top.
Lessons
Tap each topic to open it. Take your time — there's no rush, and you can come back any time.
Phishing emails
What it looks like: An email that looks like it's from your bank, Medicare, Amazon, or a delivery company. It usually asks you to "verify," "confirm," or "update" something by clicking a link.
Red flags in this example
- Urgent deadline ("within 24 hours")
- A generic greeting instead of your name
- A link that, when you hover over it, doesn't go to the real company's website
What to do
Don't click the link. Open a new browser window and type the company's real website address yourself, or call the number on your card or statement.
Phone scams
What it looks like: A caller claims to be a government agency, a tech company, or even a family member, and pressures you to act immediately — often by paying with gift cards, a wire transfer, or cash pickup.
The new twist: AI voice cloning
With just a few seconds of someone's voice — often pulled from a video or voicemail online — AI can now recreate it well enough to fool a family member on the phone. Hearing a familiar voice is no longer proof of who is calling.
Red flags in this example
- Urgency and secrecy together ("right now," "don't tell mom")
- A request for gift cards or wire transfer
- They called you — you didn't call them
What to do
Hang up. Call that family member back on the number you already have saved for them. If you can't reach them, call another relative to check the story before sending anything.
Text message scams
What it looks like: A text claiming to be from a delivery service, your bank, or even a new "wrong number" contact that later asks for money. This is sometimes called "smishing" (SMS + phishing).
Red flags in this example
- A small, believable dollar amount meant to feel too minor to question
- A link with a strange or shortened web address
- A shipping fee request — real carriers don't text you for payment like this
What to do
Don't tap the link. Go to the shipping company's official app or website directly to check your package status.
Fake websites & pop-ups
What it looks like: A scary pop-up appears on your computer claiming it's "infected," or a website looks almost exactly like a real store or bank but has a slightly different web address.
Red flags in this example
- A pop-up that won't let you close it easily, or fills the whole screen
- A phone number to call built right into the warning
- Real antivirus companies never contact you this way
What to do
Don't call the number and don't click anything on the pop-up. Close the browser entirely (or restart the computer), and if you're worried, ask a family member or a trusted local computer shop to take a look.
Five warning signs, in every scam
No matter which lesson above it came from, almost every scam shares these traits.
- ! They say it's urgent — act now or something bad will happen.
- ! They ask you to keep it a secret from family or your bank.
- ! They want payment by gift card, wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or cash.
- ! They contacted you first — you didn't reach out to them.
- ! They ask for your social security number, password, or bank details.
The habit that protects you
Remember 5-2, then Stop, Verify, Report. You don't need to be a tech expert — you just need this habit.
Remember 5-2
The 5-2 rule. If something feels urgent or strange, hang up. Wait 5 minutes. Then talk to 2 people you trust before you do anything.
Do not rush into anything. Do not act on impulse. A real emergency can wait 5 minutes. A scammer cannot.
Stop
Hang up, close the pop-up, or step away from the message. Wait 5 minutes. No real emergency is ruined by five quiet minutes.
Verify
Call the person or company back using a number you already have — never a number given to you in the message.
Report
Talk to 2 people you trust, or call one of the numbers in Resources. Reporting protects the next person too.
Practice scenarios
Here are six real-style messages. Read each one and decide — is it a scam, or is it safe? There's no penalty for guessing wrong; that's what practice is for.
Quiz
Nine questions to check what you've learned. Pick an answer to see if you're right, along with a short explanation.
If you think you've encountered a scam
Whether you caught it in time or already responded, here's exactly what to do next.
- Stop all contact with the person or website immediately — don't reply, click, or call any number they gave you.
- If you shared a password, change it right away on the real website or app.
- If you shared a credit card or bank number, call your bank directly (the number on your card) and tell them what happened.
- If you sent money, call your bank or card company immediately — the sooner you report it, the better the chance of recovering funds.
- Tell a family member. It is never embarrassing to ask for help, and they'd rather know.
- Report it using one of the numbers below — it helps protect others from the same scam.
Numbers to keep handy
Save these, write them down, or tap to call directly from your phone.
Take the cheat sheet home
A one-page printable summary of everything in this course.
About this project
My name is Nico Baqueiro. I started this project after my grandmother was targeted by scammers, more than once.
Watching someone try to take advantage of her — simply because they assumed she wouldn't know better — made me angry the first time. Seeing it happen again made me realize this wasn't a one-time slip on her part; it's a pattern, and older adults are targeted again and again because scammers know some will eventually let their guard down.
This course exists so that fewer people have to learn these lessons the hard way. My hope is simple: that the next time someone tries this on someone's grandmother, grandfather, or neighbor, they'll already know exactly what to do.
— Nico Baqueiro
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