The short answer
Treat any call, text or knock you didn't expect as not real until you have checked it yourself. Details in an obituary can lead scammers to you. Grief makes anyone easier to rush.
You don't have to become an expert. The same few plain habits apply to every kind of scam, including the new ones made with computers.
This chapter explains how things usually work in the United States. It is not legal, tax or financial advice, and the rules where you live may differ. Before you act on anything here, check it with one of the people named at the end of the chapter.
What to do
- Hang up on any unexpected caller who asks for money or for your numbers.
- Call back on a number you find yourself, from a bill, a card or a letter.
- Refuse any caller's request for gift cards, a wire transfer, cryptocurrency, gold or a courier.
- Choose a money buddy, and agree on a family code word.
- Place a credit freeze with each of the three credit bureaus.
- Report every attempt at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, or at ic3.gov if it happened online.
- Call whoever moved the money today, if you have already paid.
What can wait
Who can help
The Federal Trade Commission takes reports at ReportFraud.ftc.gov or 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FBI takes reports of anything that happened online at ic3.gov. For Medicare, find the Senior Medicare Patrol at smpresource.org.
The AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline, 1-877-908-3360, is free. If you are 60 or over, the National Elder Fraud Hotline, 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311), has case managers who help you report a fraud and find help.
The Justice Department warns that scammers have pretended to be the Elder Fraud Hotline, so dial the number yourself. The real one never threatens to sue or asks for your Social Security number.
The rules, phone numbers and web addresses in this book were checked against the agencies’ own pages in October 2026. They change, so check anything you rely on with the office itself.
From Book 4: Everything They Handled
This page has the short answer and the closing lists from chapter 9. The full chapter explains, in plain words, what exists, what to ask, and who can answer. The book covers months 1 to 9.
Hear when the next book is out
Five or six short emails a year at most, and a note when a new book is out. Each one is about something that tends to come up in the first two years. You can unsubscribe whenever you like.