Common US phone scams and how to report them
Updated
Scammers use the phone because it is cheap and fast. These are the schemes reported most often, and the tell‑tale signs.
Scams to know
- Government impostors. Callers say they are from the IRS or the Social Security Administration and threaten arrest. The IRS normally contacts you by mail first, and neither agency demands payment by gift card or crypto.
- Bank and payment-app fraud. A ‘fraud department’ asks you to move money or send a Zelle payment to protect it. Your bank will never ask you to send money to yourself.
- Car warranty and Medicare calls. Robocalls push you to ‘press 1’ to renew coverage or get a new card.
- Tech support. A caller says your computer is infected and asks for remote access.
- Family emergency. Someone claims a relative is in jail or hospital and needs money now.
Where to report
- Report fraud to the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
- Report unwanted robocalls to the FCC (fcc.gov/complaints).
- If you lost money online or by wire, also report to the FBI’s IC3 at ic3.gov, and call your bank at once.
- Forward scam texts to 7726 (SPAM) so your carrier can block the sender.
Then search the number here and add a report, so the next person knows what to expect.