Pressure? Slow down.
Ask someone you trust.
Use official channels to verify.
Sending money? Stop.
Experience matters. Share and report it.
Taking a few extra minutes to PAUSE could prevent a permanent loss.
Scammers rely on speed, pressure, and confusion. They want you to react before you have time to think, verify, or speak to someone you trust.
When something feels urgent, unusual, or too good to be true, take a moment and PAUSE.
This simple five-step framework can help you recognize a potential scam, check whether a request is legitimate, and protect yourself and others before any money or information is lost.
P — Pressure? That’s the warning.
If someone is pushing you to act immediately, slow down.
Scammers often create a false sense of urgency. They may tell you that your account is at risk, that you owe money, that an opportunity is about to disappear, or that something bad will happen unless you act now.
A legitimate organization will give you time to understand what is happening, ask questions, and verify the request.
Pause if you are being told to:
- Act immediately
- Keep the situation secret
- Avoid speaking to your bank, family, or friends
- Send money before you can verify the request
- Make a decision while you feel afraid, excited, or confused
Urgency is one of a scammer’s most reliable tools. You do not need to act on someone else’s timeline.
A — Ask someone you trust first.
Before you send money, click a link, download an app, share a password, or provide personal information, speak to someone you trust.
This could be a family member, friend, colleague, caregiver, or someone at your bank.
Scammers often try to isolate people. They may tell you that the situation is confidential, that nobody else will understand, or that speaking to someone could cause you to lose an opportunity.
Those are warning signs.
A second person can help you notice something you may have missed, ask useful questions, or confirm that the request does not make sense.
One conversation can be enough to stop a scam.
U — Use official channels to check.
Never verify a request using the contact details provided by the person who contacted you.
Instead, end the conversation and independently find the organization’s official contact information.
To verify a request:
- Hang up the call
- Close the message or website
- Type the organization’s official website address into your browser
- Use the phone number printed on your bank card, statement, or official documentation
- Contact the company through its verified app or support channel
Do not click links, call phone numbers, or use email addresses sent to you by the person making the request. Scam websites and phone numbers can look convincing.
If the request is legitimate, the organization will be able to confirm it through its official channels.
S — Sending money? Stop.
Stop immediately if someone asks you to make a payment using an unusual, irreversible, or difficult-to-trace method.
No bank, government agency, police department, technology company, or legitimate business will require you to pay through:
- A cryptocurrency ATM
- Gift cards or prepaid vouchers
- Cash handed to a stranger or courier
- A transfer to a “safe account”
- Cryptocurrency sent to a private wallet
- A payment made to unlock a prize, investment, refund, or inheritance
Scammers prefer these payment methods because the money is often difficult or impossible to recover.
They may stay on the phone while you make the payment, give you step-by-step instructions, or tell you what to say if a bank employee asks questions.
That behavior is not normal. It is a major warning sign.
Do not send the money. End the conversation and contact your bank or the relevant organization directly.
E — Experience matters. Share it.
A scam attempt is worth talking about, even if no money was lost.
Sharing what happened can help protect your friends, family, colleagues, and community. It can also help organizations identify patterns and prevent the same scam from reaching someone else.
If you lost money or shared sensitive information, report it as soon as possible. Contact your bank, the affected platform, and the appropriate fraud-reporting service.
There is no reason to feel embarrassed. Scammers use sophisticated tactics designed to create fear, trust, excitement, and confusion. Anyone can be targeted.
A close call is worth sharing. A loss is worth reporting.
You are not alone, and speaking up may protect the next person.
