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Scam glossary
Plain-English explanations of the tricks scammers use, so you can recognize them the moment they start.
C
- Caller ID spoofing
- Faking the number or name that appears on your caller ID.
D
- Do Not Call Registry
- The national list that tells legitimate telemarketers not to call you.
G
- Gift card scam
- Any request to pay a bill, fine or fee with gift cards.
- Government impersonation
- A caller who claims to be from a tax, social security or law-enforcement agency.
- Grandparent scam
- A caller pretending to be a grandchild or relative in an emergency.
N
- Neighbor spoofing
- A spoofed call that shows a number very similar to your own.
O
- One-ring scam
- A call that rings once and hangs up so you call back an expensive international number.
P
- Phishing
- A message designed to trick you into revealing logins, card numbers or other personal information.
- Pig butchering
- A long-con investment scam that starts with a friendly "wrong number" message.
R
- Robocall
- An automated call that plays a recorded message.
S
- Smishing
- Phishing by text message (SMS).
- STIR/SHAKEN
- The caller ID authentication standard used by phone carriers.
T
- Tech support scam
- Someone posing as a computer company who says your device has a problem.
V
- Vishing
- Phishing by voice call.