Detecting scams used to be relatively easy. Social engineers nearly always left clues that made spotting and avoiding them easy.
Things have changed. Scammers are enormously more sophisticated. The Washington Post’s personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary‘s top three rules will go a long way toward keeping you safer:
- Trust no one. Trust nothing you get via email, text, or phone call. If your husband calls and says to transfer money, hang up and call him back. AI is allowing criminals to impersonate people’s voices.
- Try to remember not acting protects you more than reacting quickly when someone says you have to pay a bill or fine, or you may be arrested. If you do nothing and your money is stolen, the bank has to give it back. But, if through manipulation, you make a move by giving a criminal a code or access to your account, it’s harder to get the money back, if not impossible.
- The moment someone says, “Don’t tell anyone,” it’s a scam. 100% of the time.
Pro Tip: Regularly update your security practices. Use password managers, enable multi-factor authentication, and be cautious about sharing sensitive information, even with trusted sources. When in doubt, verify through a separate trusted channel.
More tips in the article 10 Tips for Prosperity and Pleasure in 2025.