Suspicious Emails and Texts

Intro

If you have an email address or a phone, scammers have you in their address book. They send millions of messages every day, and most of them follow the same handful of patterns. The good news: once you can name the pattern, you can spot the scam — even when it shows up in a message you've never seen before.

Today we're going to walk through the five most common patterns. I'll show you what each one looks like, what the scammer is hoping you'll do, and the one habit that stops every single one of them in their tracks.

This lesson is not about making you afraid of your inbox. It's about giving you a way to look at every message — every email, every text — and know in under five seconds whether to trust it.

Pattern 1: The “your account has been suspended” email

This one shows up dressed as your bank, your email provider, or sometimes Netflix or Amazon. The subject line says something like “Urgent: action required” or “We've detected suspicious activity on your account.” The message inside asks you to click a link to verify your identity, reset your password, or “restore access.”

Here's what's actually happening. The scammer wants you to click the link and type your password into a fake website that looks just like the real one. The moment you hit submit, they have your credentials, and they're into your real account before you've put the phone down.

How to tell. Banks and major companies do not send you links to log in. They tell you to go to the website yourself, or they call you. The urgency in the message is the clue. Real institutions don't shout at you in your inbox.

Pattern 2: The “we couldn't deliver your package” text

You get a text saying USPS, UPS, or FedEx couldn't deliver something. It has a tracking-number-looking string and a link to “update your delivery information.” It feels urgent because you probably are expecting a package — most of us are, most of the time.

The scammer is counting on that timing. The link goes to a page asking for your name, address, and a small fee (usually under five dollars) to reschedule the delivery. The fee is the hook — they want your card number, not the five dollars.

How to tell. Real delivery companies don't text you a link for a fee. If you're worried about a real package, open your tracking app or go to the carrier's website yourself.

Pattern 3: The “you owe taxes” call and text combo

This one often comes as a phone call first, then a text. The caller says they're from the IRS and you owe back taxes. If you don't pay today, they're going to send the police. The text follows up with a link to pay.

Here's the truth: the IRS does not call you. They send letters. If you get a call from someone claiming to be the IRS, it is a scam — every single time, with no exceptions. The same goes for Social Security, Medicare, and any other federal agency.

How to tell. Government agencies use the mail. They do not threaten you. They do not ask for gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency. If those words come up, you are talking to a scammer.

Pattern 4: The “I'm your grandchild and I'm in trouble” call or message

This one is cruel because it preys on love. A young voice on the phone, sometimes mimicked with AI from a video your grandchild posted online, says they're in trouble — they got arrested, they were in an accident, they're in a foreign country and can't reach their parents. They beg you not to tell their mom or dad. They need money fast.

It is not your grandchild. It is a scammer who has scraped your family's information from social media or an old data breach. The “don't tell their parents” part is the giveaway — it's there to stop you from making the one phone call that would unravel the scam.

How to tell. Hang up. Call your grandchild on the number you already have. If you can't reach them directly, call their parents. The scam falls apart the moment you talk to a family member. Always.

Pattern 5: The “you've won” pop-up or message

A browser pop-up flashes that you've won a gift card, a free iPhone, or that you're the 100,000th visitor to a website. Sometimes it shows up as a text saying you've won a prize from a store you actually shop at.

There is no prize. The scammer wants you to click through, enter your information, and either pay a “shipping fee” or download a piece of software that quietly digs around in your computer. The fee or the software is the actual payload.

How to tell. You did not enter a contest. If you didn't sign up for a sweepstakes, you cannot have won one.

The one habit that beats all five

Every pattern I just described relies on the same trick: getting you to act fast on a link or a phone call before you have time to verify. The defense is also one thing: verify by hand.

When a message tells you to click a link or call a number, don't. Close the message. Open a separate window on your computer or a separate app on your phone, and go to the real company's website yourself. Log into your real account. If there's actually a problem, you'll see it there.

If a phone call claims to be from an agency or a family member in trouble, hang up. Call back using a number you already have — from your address book, from the back of your bank card, from a previous bill. Never use the number the caller gave you.

This one habit — verify by hand, on a channel you trust — beats every email scam, every text scam, every phone scam you will ever receive. It is slower than acting on impulse, and that is the point.

Recap

Five patterns: the suspended account, the failed delivery, the unpaid taxes, the grandchild in trouble, and the prize you didn't enter. They all want you to act fast. The cure for fast is slow. Always verify on your own channel before you click, pay, or talk.

Try this today

Go to your inbox right now and look at the most recent message that asks you to do something — click a link, pay something, verify an account. Without clicking, ask yourself: who is this from, really? And would I have gotten this message if I went to their website by hand?

That habit is the whole lesson.