Scam IQ Foundations

Scams do not succeed because victims are foolish. They succeed because they are designed to trigger fast, emotional decisions: fear (your account is locked), urgency (pay within an hour), authority (this is the police), or opportunity (you've won, or can double your money).

When those feelings are switched on, careful thinking is switched off. That is the whole trick. So the single most useful skill is not knowing every scam — there are too many — but noticing the feeling and pausing.

The pause routine used in this course: 1. Stop. Unexpected + urgent = pause. 2. Don't use the contact details in the message. 3. Verify through a channel you find yourself: the official app, the number on your card, a website you type in. 4. Ask someone you trust.

Phishing is a message — email, text or DM — that tries to get you to click a link, open a file or share details. Common signs: - A generic greeting or slightly wrong name. - A link whose real address does not match the company (for example a long string ending in an unfamiliar domain, or a lookalike such as an extra letter). - A threat or a prize. - A request to 'confirm' your password, card or one-time code.

On a phone, press and hold a link to preview it instead of tapping. Better still, don't use the link at all — open the company's app or type the address yourself. You can paste a suspicious link into a GACS check for a second opinion.

No legitimate company needs your one-time passcode. Anyone asking for it is trying to get into your account.

Scammers pretend to be your bank, the tax office, the police, a delivery company, Amazon, Microsoft or Apple. They may spoof caller ID so the number looks right.

Things real organisations generally do not do: - Ask you to move money to a 'safe account'. - Threaten arrest over the phone unless you pay immediately. - Ask for payment in gift cards or crypto. - Ask you to install remote-access software so they can 'fix' your computer.

If a call worries you, hang up, wait a minute (or use a different phone), and call the number on the back of your card or the organisation's official website.

How a scammer asks to be paid often gives them away. Payment methods that are hard to reverse are favoured: gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfers, instant bank transfers to individuals, and cash handed to couriers.

Watch for: - 'Fees', 'taxes' or 'unlock charges' before you can withdraw money you supposedly earned. - Overpayment scams: someone sends too much and asks you to refund the difference. - Requests to buy gift cards and read out the codes. - Crypto ATMs suggested by someone you met online.

If you have already paid, contact your bank or card provider straight away, and report to your national fraud service. Be wary of anyone who then contacts you offering to recover the money for a fee.

Fake shops copy real brands with prices that are too good to be true, and often only accept bank transfer or crypto. Check the shop's age, contact details and reviews on independent sites, and pay by card for buyer protection.

Job scams offer easy remote work, then ask you to pay for training or equipment, or to 'complete tasks' by depositing money. Real employers do not charge you to work.

Romance and friendship scams build trust over weeks, often moving the chat to WhatsApp or Telegram, before introducing an investment opportunity or an emergency. If someone you have never met in person asks for money or pushes an investment app, stop.

The final skill is building habits for yourself and the people around you: - Turn on two-step verification for email, banking and social accounts. - Agree a family code word for emergencies. - Tell older relatives which organisations will never call them asking for money. - Check suspicious links, phone numbers, emails, wallets and social accounts with GACS before acting. - Report scams so others are warned — to the platform, your national fraud service, and the GACS community registry.

Talking about scams openly removes the shame that keeps people silent, and silence is what lets scams keep working.