Red Flag Bingo

Read each scenario aloud, pause, name the red flag, then read the lesson. Tick the box as you go.

1. Pay with gift cards
   A caller from the "power company" says your electricity will be shut off today unless you pay the overdue bill with gift cards from the drugstore.
   No real business or agency takes payment in gift cards. Gift cards are the scammer's favorite because the money is gone once the numbers are read out.
2. Keep it a secret
   Your "grandson" calls from jail, needs bail money, and begs you not to tell his parents.
   Secrecy is the tell. Scammers ask for it because one phone call to family ends the scam.
3. Bitcoin ATM
   A "bank investigator" says your account is compromised and walks you to a Bitcoin machine at the gas station to move your money somewhere safe.
   No bank, police department, or agency will ever send you to a Bitcoin ATM.
4. Courier picks up cash
   After a call about a family emergency, the caller says a courier will come to your house in an hour to collect the cash.
   Real emergencies never send a stranger to your door for cash. Call family and call the police.
5. Stay on the line
   The caller says you must stay on the phone the whole time you drive to the bank, and not to hang up for any reason.
   Keeping you on the line keeps you from checking with anyone. You can always hang up.
6. Your computer has a virus
   A loud pop-up covers your screen, says your computer is infected, and gives a phone number for "Microsoft Support."
   Real companies never put phone numbers in warning pop-ups. Close the browser or restart the computer.
7. Let me into your computer
   A friendly technician asks you to download a program so he can connect to your computer and fix the problem.
   Remote access gives a stranger everything on your screen, including your bank. Only let in someone you contacted yourself.
8. You've won a prize
   A letter says you have won a foreign sweepstakes, and you just need to pay the taxes and fees to claim it.
   A real prize never costs money to collect. You cannot win a contest you never entered.
9. Guaranteed returns
   A new online friend shows you screenshots of the money they made on a crypto app and promises you will double yours in a month.
   Every real investment carries risk. "Guaranteed" is the word scammers use most.
10. Online love asks for money
    Someone you met online months ago, who has never been able to video chat, needs money for a plane ticket to finally meet you.
    The requests always come before the meeting, and the meeting never comes.
11. Can't video chat
    Your new sweetheart overseas always has a reason the camera is broken.
    A person who will never appear on video is hiding who they are.
12. Social Security suspended
    A recorded voice says your Social Security number has been suspended because of suspicious activity. Press 1 to speak to an officer.
    Social Security numbers do not get suspended. The real agency does not call to threaten you.
13. Missed jury duty
    A "deputy" calls to say there is a warrant for your arrest for missing jury duty, and you can pay the fine right now to clear it.
    Courts send letters. Nobody can pay off an arrest warrant over the phone.
14. Unpaid toll text
    A text says you owe $4.35 in unpaid tolls and must pay at the link today to avoid a late fee.
    The small amount is bait to get your card number. Check tolls on your own through the toll agency's real site.
15. Package couldn't be delivered
    A text says your package is on hold and asks you to click a link to update your address.
    Shipping companies do not text links asking for payment or personal details. Track packages from the store where you ordered.
16. Verify your account
    An email from your "bank" says your account is locked and asks you to sign in through the link to verify your identity.
    Go to your bank the way you always do, by typing the address yourself or calling the number on your card.
17. Medicare card replacement
    A caller says Medicare is issuing new cards and needs your Medicare number to send yours.
    Medicare does not call to ask for your number. Guard it like a credit card.
18. Free medical equipment
    A caller offers a free back brace and genetic test, paid for by Medicare. They just need your Medicare number.
    "Free" offers that need your Medicare number are how fraudsters bill Medicare in your name.
19. Pay a stranger to fix the roof
    A man knocks on the door, says he noticed damage on your roof, and asks for half the money up front to buy materials today.
    Real contractors do not go door to door with same-day deals. Get written estimates from companies you look up yourself.
20. Overpaid you by mistake
    A buyer sends a check for more than the price of the furniture you are selling and asks you to wire back the difference.
    The check will bounce days later, after your money is already gone.
21. Caller ID looks real
    Your phone shows the name of your bank, and the caller knows the last four digits of your card.
    Caller ID can be faked, and those four digits are easy to find. Hang up and call the number on your card.
22. Voice sounds just like family
    Your daughter's voice, crying, says she has been in a car accident and needs money right away.
    Criminals can copy a voice from a few seconds of video online. Hang up and call her at the number you know.
23. Act now or lose it
    The offer expires at midnight, and the caller says there is no time to talk it over with anyone.
    Pressure to decide fast is pressure not to check. Anything real will still be there tomorrow.
24. Government agent wants payment
    A caller from the "IRS" says you owe back taxes and will be arrested today unless you pay now.
    The IRS contacts people by mail first and never demands immediate payment by phone.
25. Move your money to keep it safe
    A caller claiming to be from the FTC says your savings are at risk and you must transfer them to a new "safe" account.
    No government agency will ever ask you to move money to protect it.
26. Charity after a disaster
    Right after a hurricane in the news, a caller asks for a donation by wire to a relief fund you have never heard of.
    Give to charities you look up yourself. Real charities take checks and credit cards.
27. Pay to get your money back
    A "recovery firm" calls to say they found the money you lost to a scam last year and can return it for a fee.
    People who lost money are often targeted a second time. Recovering money never requires a fee.
28. Job that pays you first
    An easy work-from-home job sends you a check and asks you to buy gift cards for "office supplies" with part of it.
    A real employer never asks you to spend your own money or send money back.
29. Unexpected inheritance
    A lawyer overseas emails to say a distant relative left you $4 million, and asks for a fee to release the funds.
    Real inheritances are paid out of the estate. Nobody asks the heir to pay up front.
30. Threatening tone
    The caller starts shouting that you will be in serious trouble if you hang up.
    Fear is a tool to stop you from thinking. You can hang up on anyone who scares you.