Before you click, pay or share—pause.
AI can make fake calls, texts and emails sound remarkably real. Ask Before You Act helps you slow down and think through what happened.
Pause. Protect. Verify. Then decide.
Urgency is a common tactic. Taking one minute to check costs you nothing.
Common warning signs.
- An unexpected call. Someone claims to be a bank, government agency, utility, technology company or family member.
- A request for money. Gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency, Zelle or cash.
- Extreme urgency. You are told to act immediately or something bad will happen.
- A demand for secrecy. They tell you not to contact your family, your bank or anyone else.
- A link or security code. You are asked to click, sign in, provide a code or confirm private information.
Contact your bank first
The faster the bank knows, the better the chance of limiting damage or stopping a transaction.
Report the incident
Visit ReportFraud.FTC.gov and consider contacting your local law-enforcement non-emergency line.
Tell someone you trust
A family member, friend or caregiver can help you work through the next steps calmly.
Be careful with screenshots
Before sharing an image, cover names, phone numbers, account numbers, addresses, security codes and other personal information.
Scams are reaching good, careful people.
We are a local real estate team—not a bank, technology company or government agency. We kept hearing from clients and neighbors about calls and messages that sounded completely real. The old advice about looking for bad spelling is no longer enough.
Ask Before You Act is meant to provide a calm place to think before doing something difficult to undo. Do not enter passwords, bank information, security codes or other private details.