Identifique os golpes de hoje: impostores, mensagens de texto e aplicativos de pagamento

Impostor scams are the type of fraud people report most often: someone pretends to be a person or group you trust. In 2025, people told the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) they lost about $16 billion to fraud. That is the highest amount on record. Impostor scams took $3.5 billion. Of that, scammers who pretended to be a business took nearly $1 billion, and fake banks caused the biggest losses in that group.

The stories change, but the pattern stays the same. Watch for these four signs:

• A name you trust. The message says it is from your bank, the IRS, a toll company, the post office, your power company, or a relative. Caller ID and email names are easy to fake.
• A problem or a prize. You owe money, your account is locked, a relative is in trouble, or you won something.
• Pressure and secrecy. You must act today. You may hear threats of arrest, deportation, or a lost license. You are told not to tell anyone.
• A payment that is hard to reverse. Gift cards, cryptocurrency (crypto), a wire transfer, a payment app, or cash given to a person who comes to your home.

If you see even one of these signs, slow down. Honest businesses and agencies give you time to check.

1. The unpaid toll text

E-ZPass NOTICE: You have an unpaid toll of $6.99. Pay today to avoid a $50 late fee and a hold on your driver's license: [link]

Texts like this go to people all over the DC area. The DC Attorney General has warned that DC does not have its own toll agency, yet people with 202 phone numbers still get fake toll texts. The link goes to a fake website that steals your card number and personal information. Maryland's and Virginia's toll programs say they never ask for payment by text message. If you drive on toll roads, check your account on your toll agency's official website or app. Type the address yourself.

2. The package delivery text

USPS: Your package cannot be delivered because the address is incomplete. Update your address within 12 hours: [link]

The U.S. Postal Service says it does not send texts unless you asked for tracking updates with a tracking number, and its texts do not contain a link. A USPS text with a link is a scam.

3. The call from the bank's fraud department

"This is the fraud team at your bank. We stopped a $950 charge at a store in Baltimore. Your account is not safe. To protect your money, we will move it to a new secure account. First, read me the code we just texted you."

The FTC says some of the most costly scams start with a call like this. The caller may know your name and the last digits of your card. The FTC warns that only a scammer will tell you to move your money to protect it. Anyone who asks for the code sent to your phone is trying to get into your account. Hang up and call the number on the back of your card.

For texts, do not reply. Use your phone's "report junk" option or forward the text to 7726 (the number spells SPAM), and then delete it.

How you paid, and who sent the money, decide how much help you can get.

That is why scammers ask for these payments. No real business or government agency will ever tell you to buy a gift card to pay them.

A credit card gives you more protection. Under federal law, the most you can owe for charges on a lost or stolen credit card is $50.

Scammers can now copy a person's voice from a short recording posted online, such as a video. Then they call a parent or grandparent. The voice cries and says, "I was in an accident and I am in jail. Please send money. Do not tell Mom."

The FBI suggests that families agree on a secret word or phrase. A real relative in trouble will know it. A copied voice will not.

• Choose a code word with your family today. Do not post it online.
• If you get an emergency call, ask for the code word, or ask a question only the real person can answer.
• Hang up and call your relative on the number you already have.
• Call another family member, even if the caller said to keep it a secret.

Scams can happen to anyone. Act fast, and do not be ashamed to ask for help. The sooner you act, the better your chances.

1. Stop all contact with the scammer. Do not send more money, even if they promise to return the first payment.
2. Call your bank, card company, or payment app using the number on your card or in the official app. Say, "This is fraud." Ask them to stop or reverse the payment and to protect your account.
3. For a gift card or a wire, call the gift card company or the wire company right away. Keep the card, the receipt, and the transfer number.
4. If you shared a password or a code, change your passwords and turn on two-step verification.
5. Report the scam at ReportFraud.ftc.gov (in Spanish at ReporteFraude.ftc.gov). If it happened online, you can also report it to the FBI at ic3.gov.
6. If you gave your Social Security number or ITIN, follow the steps in our lesson on protecting your identity.

"Hello, my name is [your name]. I am calling to report fraud on my account ending in [last 4 digits]. Today at [time], I sent $[amount] to [name or phone number the scammer used] because of a scam. Please stop or reverse this payment, block more payments to this person, and open a fraud claim. What is my claim number?"

Write down the date, the time, the name of the person you spoke to, and the claim number.