Phone Scams and Robocalls

Intro

The phone is still the single most effective tool scammers use against older adults. Email scams have been around long enough that we've all learned to be a little suspicious of our inboxes. But the phone feels personal. There's a real human voice on the other end. They sound official. They sound urgent. And they're trained — actually trained, like in a script — to get you to act before you think.

This lesson is about three things. First, the three scripts almost every phone scammer uses. Second, the one rehearsed sentence you can use to end any scam call. Third, what to do after you hang up.

Script 1: The “you have a problem” call

The most common phone scam in the country goes like this. A friendly-sounding person calls and says they're from your bank, your computer's tech support, the IRS, or the Social Security Administration. They tell you there's a problem with your account, your computer, your taxes, or your benefits. To fix it, they need to verify some information, or they need you to install software so they can help, or they need you to send money right away.

Here's what's actually going on. They are not from any of those places. They got your phone number from a data breach or a public records site. The “problem” doesn't exist. Once you hand over information or grant access to your computer, they take what they came for.

Three rules that beat this scam every time. Your bank will never call and ask you to verify your account by reading them your full account number or password — they already have those. Microsoft, Apple, and Google do not call you about your computer. The IRS and Social Security do not call you, full stop. They send letters.

Script 2: The “your loved one is in trouble” call

We touched on this one in Lesson 1, but it deserves its own treatment because the phone version is even more convincing than the text version.

A frantic young voice — sometimes AI-generated from a clip of your real grandchild's voice — calls late at night or first thing in the morning. They tell you they've been in an accident, arrested, or are stranded somewhere. They beg you not to tell their parents. A second voice gets on the phone and identifies themselves as a lawyer, a police officer, or a bail bondsman. They tell you to send money — usually by gift card, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency.

Real police officers do not collect bail by gift card. Real lawyers do not call demanding wire transfers from grandparents. The “don't tell their parents” part is the scammer's most important line — they cannot afford for you to make a single call that would unmask them.

If you ever get a call like this, no matter how convincing, hang up. Call your grandchild directly. If you can't reach them, call their parents. The scam dies the moment you reach a family member.

Script 3: The “you won” call

A cheerful voice tells you you've won — a lottery you don't remember entering, a sweepstakes you don't remember signing up for, a Publishers Clearing House prize that doesn't exist. To collect your winnings, you need to pay a “processing fee” or “tax” first.

There is no prize. There has never been a prize. Real lotteries don't ask you to pay to collect them. Real sweepstakes don't call you out of the blue. If you did not enter a contest, you cannot have won one.

The one sentence that ends every scam call

You don't have to be polite. You don't have to explain. You don't have to argue or try to outsmart them. You don't owe a stranger on the phone anything.

Here's the sentence: “I don't take requests over the phone. I'll call back on a number I know.”

That's it. Say it once, say it calmly, and hang up. You haven't been rude. You haven't been mean. You've simply refused to do business on a channel the scammer needs you to stay on.

Print that sentence on a piece of paper and tape it to the wall near your phone. The next time a stranger calls and asks for anything — money, account information, computer access, gift cards — read it out loud and hang up.

What to do after you hang up

Three steps, in order.

1. If the call claimed to be your bank, your credit card company, or any account, log into that account directly — through the app or the company's website, not a link or a number the caller gave you. If there's a real issue, you'll see it. If there's not, you can ignore the call entirely.
2. If the call claimed to be the IRS, Social Security, or another government agency, you can report it. The Federal Trade Commission takes scam reports at reportfraud.ftc.gov. The reporting itself doesn't get you in trouble — it helps them track the scam.
3. If the call shook you up, tell someone. A spouse, a friend, an adult child. Talking about it is not embarrassing. The scammers count on the shame to keep you quiet. The cure for that shame is to say what happened out loud to someone you trust.

Recap

Three scripts: the problem with your account, the loved one in trouble, the prize you won. One sentence: “I don't take requests over the phone. I'll call back on a number I know.” One follow-up: verify through the channel you trust, not the one the scammer chose.

Try this today

Next time you get a call from a number you don't recognize, let it go to voicemail. If it's important, they'll leave a message. If they don't leave a message, you've already won — that call was almost certainly not for you.