Fraud Calls in the US
Phone fraud in the US targets every demographic — students hear loan forgiveness scams, parents hear Medicare scams, seniors hear "grandparent" emergency scams. Tactics evolve, but the underlying pattern is universal: urgency, authority, and a request for money.
Common signs
- Pretending to be from a federal agency: IRS, SSA, Medicare, USCIS.
- Impersonating a family member in distress ("Grandma, I'm in jail…").
- Sextortion: claiming to have compromising material to extort payment.
- Romance scams that move to a "we need money to meet" pitch.
Typical scripts
- "Grandma, I've been in an accident. Please don't tell Mom. I need bail money…"
- "I have explicit footage of you from your webcam — pay in Bitcoin or I'll send it to your contacts."
What to do
- Hang up and verify directly. Use a contact method you already trust — never one the caller gave you.
- If money has been sent, call your bank using the number on your card.
- Report to the FBI's IC3 at ic3.gov and the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
Search a number
If you've received one of these calls, search the number on GhostCallers to see what other people have reported.
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