September 2026

Spot reverse mortgage scams and foreclosure rescue schemes for U.S. homeowners 62 and older, including Home Equity Conversion Mortgage HECM basics, mandatory HUD-approved counseling, finding counselors independently through HUD, avoiding rushed unsolicited offers investment pitches free repair tie-ins deed transfer title changes and ownership transfers, avoiding equity-draining investments and upfront foreclosure rescue fees, contacting loan servicers and HUD-approved housing counselors, reading documents and refusing blanks, using three-business-day right of rescission after most reverse mortgage closings, getting paperwork reviewed by HUD counselors elder-law attorneys or trusted family, contacting state attorneys general for deed transfer forged signature or fraud concerns, reporting to CFPB and FTC, and understanding equity fees insurance taxes homeowners insurance maintenance and foreclosure risks.

Recognize romance scams from dating apps social media online games messaging apps and wrong-number texts, including long trust-building conversations, refusal to meet or video call, fast declarations of love, polished profile photos, reverse image searches, overseas military oil rig doctor remote clinic stories, emergency travel medical bill and investment requests, wire gift card cryptocurrency and payment app requests, being asked to receive or move money or packages, stopping contact and payments, contacting banks card issuers and payment apps, reporting to platforms FTC and IC3, responding after sharing IDs passports bank details or documents, talking to trusted people, avoiding shame and isolation, never sending money to someone not met in person, and gently helping someone being targeted.

Avoid QR code scams and quishing on iPhone and Android, including QR codes as picture links, fake stickers over parking payment signs restaurant menus flyers and meters, previewing URLs before opening, avoiding shortened links and mismatched domains, watching for unsolicited QR codes in emails texts mail and package notices, recognizing urgency about late fees and delivery problems, avoiding login or payment pages opened from unverified codes, using official apps or typed websites, responding after scanning by closing pages changing passwords contacting card issuers removing apps and iPhone profiles, scanning devices after downloads, reporting to FTC and property owners, and using built-in camera scanners instead of third-party QR apps.

Understand phishing versus spam in Gmail Outlook Yahoo iCloud Mail texts and calls, including spam as unwanted bulk marketing, phishing as deception to steal passwords card numbers Social Security numbers money or account access, why professional-looking messages can still be phishing, when prize emails move from spam to phishing, why Report phishing triggers stronger review than Report spam, examples of store promos newsletters bank lock emails IRS threats delivery fee scams coworker gift card requests and gray areas, applying the same split to smishing texts and scam calls, using Block for persistent spam, and avoiding replies or unsubscribe links from unknown senders.

Understand password passphrase and PIN differences for Windows Mac iPhone Android online accounts and devices, including passwords as character strings for email banking shopping and social accounts, passphrases as long multiword passwords where length does the security work, PINs as short numeric codes protected by device lockout or wipe limits, choosing long unique passwords or password-manager generated credentials for online accounts, using PINs for local phones tablets and laptops, using a strong passphrase for password managers and main email, why forced uppercase number symbol rules create predictable patterns, why short PINs are acceptable only when guess attempts are limited, keeping PINs and passwords independent, and pairing credentials with two-factor authentication.

Avoid PayPal Friends and Family scams in marketplace purchases romance scams fake jobs and online sales, including understanding Goods and Services purchase protection versus Friends and Family personal payments, recognizing seller requests to avoid fees offer discounts claim company reimbursement or say they lack business accounts, refusing personal payments to strangers for items services tickets or transactions, treating insistence on Friends and Family as the warning sign, trying PayPal Report a Problem after payment, disputing linked credit card charges, reporting to FTC marketplaces dating platforms police and IC3, avoiding fake PayPal refund follow-up scams, using Goods and Services by default for strangers freelancers and marketplace purchases, checking seller history, and avoiding bank transfers wires and gift cards.

Spot fake puppy kitten and pet listings online, including stolen photos reasonable-looking prices deposit pressure and hard-to-reverse payments, reverse image searching listing photos with Google Images or TinEye, insisting on live video calls showing the actual animal, searching seller phone email and listing text with scam, avoiding gift cards wire transfers Zelle Cash App Venmo and deposits before meeting, recognizing special crate climate-controlled shipping pet insurance and stuck-at-airport fee escalations, contacting banks card issuers payment apps wire services and gift card issuers after sending money, reporting to FTC and IC3, visiting breeders shelters and rescues in person, treating unusually low purebred prices and relocation stories as warning signs, and refusing shipping-only arrangements.

Recognize PayPal invoice scams and money requests that may be genuinely sent through PayPal, including expensive fake antivirus electronics gift card or subscription invoices, logging in by typing paypal.com, checking Activity, understanding invoices do not charge automatically until approved, spotting phone numbers in invoice notes that lead to fake support, checking seller details newly created accounts and generic emails, avoiding invoice phone numbers, opening PayPal disputes through Resolution Center, contacting banks or card issuers for linked-card disputes, responding after remote access or personal data exposure, forwarding suspicious messages to PayPal, reporting to FTC, marking emails as spam, turning on PayPal activity notifications, and checking automatic payment settings.

Spot fake Netflix billing scam emails and texts about payment declined account on hold and account suspension, including checking sender addresses for netflix.com and members.netflix.com, hovering over update payment links, recognizing urgency generic greetings missing plan details and missing card last four digits, knowing Netflix does not ask for full card numbers security codes Social Security numbers or passwords by email, verifying by typing netflix.com and checking Account Billing details, changing Netflix passwords after fake page entry, signing out of all devices, contacting card issuers after card entry, checking billing history and viewing activity, forwarding phishing to Netflix, using unique passwords and password managers, and applying the same checks to Spotify Disney Amazon Prime and Hulu billing scams.

Spot Medicare scams involving fake calls texts mail emails door knocks new card claims Medicare Number verification free genetic testing back braces knee braces medical equipment open enrollment urgency and coverage threats, including knowing Medicare does not call to verify activate or reissue cards, legitimate equipment comes from doctors not cold calls, refusing gift cards wires and phone payments, calling 1-800-MEDICARE or using Medicare.gov directly, reporting exposed Medicare Numbers, checking Medicare Summary Notices and online claims, reporting to HHS OIG, freezing credit after Social Security or bank exposure, and helping seniors review unexpected contact.