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Agree on a simple family rule: when a call or text creates urgency about money, crime, benefits, an account, or a computer problem, pause before responding. Don’t click, reply, pay, or share information. Check the claim through a contact method you already know is genuine, and talk it over with someone trusted.
This is a shared safety routine, not a test of whether someone can spot every scam. The FTC’s Pass It On materials are designed to help people start conversations with friends and family about unwanted calls and texts.
How do I help my older family member avoid phone scams?
Make a plan together while there is no urgent call in progress. The FTC’s Scams Against Older Adults Advisory Group describes a common pattern: unexpected contact, pressure to act quickly, and a specific way to pay or send money. One sign alone may not prove a scam, but the combination is a reason to stop and verify.
The FTC’s practical advice is: “Slow down and check it out.” Agree that neither of you will act on an unexpected urgent request until the story has been checked independently.
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Set up the plan before a suspicious call arrives
- Choose a trusted person to call when a message involves money, crime, benefits, an account, or a computer problem. Make clear that asking for a second opinion is sensible, not embarrassing.
- Keep verified contact details for banks, government agencies, service providers, and close family members somewhere easy to reach, such as a paper list or saved contacts. Use those details—not numbers or links supplied in an unexpected message.
- Look at the actual phone together. Review its spam filtering and blocking options, along with any services offered by the phone carrier. Features vary by phone and service; no particular device or paid app is required.
The FTC’s guidance for older adults also warns: “Don’t give money or information to anyone who contacts you unexpectedly.”
Recognize the pressure, not just the story
Scammers may pretend to be from a bank, business, government agency, or even a family member. They might claim there is suspicious account activity, criminal use of personal information, or a computer security problem. A caller’s claimed identity is not proof. Pay attention to pressure, secrecy, demands for immediate action, and unusual instructions to pay or move money.
Never transfer money because an unexpected caller or message says funds must be moved somewhere safe for protection. The FTC’s guidance says to slow down, research the claim, and talk with someone trusted before doing anything else.
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You generally cannot establish who is calling from caller ID alone. A name or number—including a local number—can be spoofed to look familiar. If a call seems suspicious, hang up, then contact the organization using a number from a statement, official card, saved contact, or website you already know is genuine.
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- End the call. Don’t stay on the line to argue or explain. If it is a robocall, don’t press a key to speak to an operator or to be removed from a list; that engages with the call rather than verifying it.
- Find the real contact details independently. Use a known phone number or open the organization’s official app or website yourself. Don’t rely on caller ID, a number the caller gives you, or a link they send.
- Check the claim with someone trusted. If the caller describes an emergency or asks for money or personal information, discuss it before taking action.
- Consider blocking or labeling future calls. Phone settings, carrier services, and optional apps may offer different features. They can help reduce unwanted calls, but should not be treated as a guarantee that every scam call will be stopped.
The FTC recommends hanging up on suspicious calls and explains that caller ID can be faked in its guide to blocking unwanted calls.
What should I do if my parent gets a suspicious text?
Don’t reply to an unexpected text, tap its link, or call a number in it. A familiar company name or convincing account alert does not verify who sent the message.
- Pause without interacting. Avoid clicking, replying, or using the message’s callback details.
- Check through a known route. If the text claims to be from a bank, delivery service, toll authority, or other organization, open its official app, type a website address you already know, or call a number from a trusted source.
- Report and remove it. Use the phone’s report-junk feature if available, or forward the unwanted text to 7726 (SPAM). Then delete it.
The FTC explains these steps in its guide to recognizing and reporting spam texts.
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Which call-blocking option should we use?
Start with the phone and service your family member already has. The right place to look depends on whether the phone is cellular, a traditional landline, or a voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) phone. Options may block calls, label likely spam, or both; availability differs by device and carrier.
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| Phone type | Where to look | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Cell phone | Phone settings, the carrier, or an optional app | Whether spam calls can be blocked or labeled, and how to review or change the setting |
| Traditional landline | Carrier services or phone features | What call-blocking or call-labeling functions are available for that line |
| VoIP phone | Service provider settings or compatible phone features | Which blocking or labeling options the provider supports |
The FTC discusses these choices in its unwanted-call guidance and call and text blocking resources. Review the options together on the actual device or with the carrier; there is no universal product that works the same way for every phone.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where should we report a phone or text scam?
For a suspected scam, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If the issue is an unwanted call and no money was lost, the FTC also directs consumers to DoNotCall.gov. For unwanted texts, use the phone’s report-junk option or forward the message to 7726 (SPAM).
Reporting a message does not require confronting the sender. Keep any relevant details that can be shared safely, but do not click a link or call a number in the suspicious message to gather more information.
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What if my family member already shared money or information?
Respond without blame. Contact the relevant bank, payment provider, or organization as soon as possible using a known official channel. Report the incident at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. What to do next depends on what was shared or paid; reporting is important, but it does not guarantee that money can be recovered.
The FTC says reported scam losses were about $16 billion in 2025, compared with $12.8 billion in 2024, and cautions that reported losses likely represent only a fraction of actual losses because many incidents go unreported. Its 2025 analysis also found that reports of losses over $100,000 to business and government impersonators among adults 60 and older rose nearly sevenfold from 2020 to 2024. That figure concerns reports of those high losses to those impersonators—not all scams or all losses among older adults. See the FTC’s 2026 reported-loss update and 2025 analysis of impersonator losses.
Quick Recap
A family checklist for the next unexpected call or text
- Pause. Urgency is a reason to check, not a reason to act faster.
- Don’t reply, click, press a key, share information, or move money at the caller’s or texter’s direction.
- Contact the person or organization through a number, app, or website you already know is genuine.
- Talk with the chosen trusted person before responding to an urgent request.
- Report suspicious texts and suspected scams through the available official routes.
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