In 2025, there were about 560,000 total scams reported in the U.S., with $20.9 billion in reported losses. Georgetown residents fall victim weekly, with reported losses ranging from a few hundred dollars to hundreds of thousands at a time. This guide will help you understand common scams, identify warning signs and better protect yourself from risks.
Scams to Know
Individuals commonly fall victim to phishing and spoofing attempts, investment fraud, romance scams, personal data breaches, government impersonations and more.
Imposter Scams
- Caller claims to be from IRS, Social Security office or a local law enforcement
- Demands immediate payment or threatens arrest
- Often asks for payment in gift cards, wire transfers or crypto-currency like bitcoin
Phishing Emails & Texts
- Scammers use text messages or emails that look like they’re from banks, delivery services, tolling agencies, hiring agencies or other companies
- Asks you to click a link to make a payment or to “verify” your account information
- Links lead to fake websites that steal your login or banking information
Tech Support Scams
- Pop-ups or calls claim your computer has a virus, is compromised, or your anti-virus has either expired or auto-renewed
- Asks for remote access to your computer to “fix” the problem or to refund a payment
- Once remote access is granted, the scammer can access and steal personal data and documents, or can hold the computer hostage, asking for payment in return
Package Delivery Scams
- Texts about a “missed delivery” with a link
- Often claims to be from Amazon, UPS, FedEx or USPS
- Designed to steal personal or credit card information
Romance, Catfishing & Social Media Scams
- Scammer makes unsolicited contact via direct messages on social media, a messaging platform like WhatsApp, a dating app or through text or calls from unknown numbers
- Their profile and pictures are suspiciously impressive, or the scammer claims they are a celebrity, public figure, business owner or royalty
- Often feels “too good to be true”
- The relationship moves quickly, but they avoid wanting to meet in person. They may ask you to keep aspects of their life a secret
- Builds trust online, then asks for money to help with an emergency or travel issue
Sweepstake, lottery and gaming scams
- You’re contacted about “winning” a contest or sweepstakes, even though you never entered
- Asks the “winner” to send money up front to cover fees, taxes or transfer costs to redeem the prize
- May ask for banking information or to transfer money from the “winner’s” account as a false form of confirmation
- No prize money is ever sent, and upfront payments are not returned
Banking scams
- Message or call claims your bank account has been compromised
- Scammers pose as tech support to send you a link to authorize a transaction into “a new account” or will ask you to withdraw cash from the bank and to convert it to Bitcoin using a crypto-transfer machine.
- Caller will say not to trust employees at local bank branch
- If a bank transaction is authorized by you, or money is sent to a different account, it cannot be recovered by you or your bank
Investment scams
- Message, email or call claims to be about an investment opportunity, asking for a small investment
- Statements over time show that the investment has grown, encouraging you to invest more
- Statements were actually fake, and the scammer took the money for themselves
Common scenarios presented in scams
If you’re contacted unsolicited for the following situations, there’s a high likelihood you’re being targeted for a scam. Remember, most official agencies will not reach out via phone call or text to receive payment, and they never accept gift cards or crypto currency as payment.
- Missed jury duty
- Open warrant for you or a family member’s arrest
- Bail payment due for family member
- Bank account has been compromised
- Unpaid taxes, tolls or parking tickets
- Verification codes for password resets
- “We’re hiring”
- Investment opportunity
- Missed delivery
- Small business loan application
- Google listing is out of date
- “I saw your profile online and love what you post.”
Warning signs
Here are common warning signs and tells that may indicate that you’re being targeted.
- The situation is presented as urgent (“Act now or else…”)
- Payment is requested in gift cards, private courier, bank/wire transfers of crypto-currency (like using a Bitcoin machine to make a cash deposit)
- You’re asked for personal info (Social Security number, passwords, bank details, birthday, address)
- The call or text is from an unknown or unrecognized number
- Emails or texts include suspicious links or attachments
- Email/website claims to be from somewhere, but the email address/URL do not match the source
- Correspondences include typos, strange wording or odd formatting
- Caller ID spoofing (looks like a local or official number, but it isn’t)
- You’re told not to tell anyone else and not to report the situation
- Photos/videos presented to you look photoshopped or AI-generated
- The person or situation seems too good to be true
How to protect yourself
- Don’t act on urgency. Take a second to think about the situation and to determine if it’s legitimate.
- Contact companies directly using official websites or phone numbers, instead of relying on Google or information given to you by others.
- Don’t click unknown links, and don’t download unknown attachments.
- Don’t answer calls from unknown numbers you’re not expecting.
- Never share passwords or one-time codes with anyone.
- Use strong passwords and enable two-factor authentication.
- Ask yourself “could this be a scam?” If the answer might be yes, then it probably is, or is at least worth further investigation.
- Don’t keep things to yourself. Talk to friends and family you trust about concerning situations and consider their advice. They could help.
What to do if you’re targeted
- Do not respond —hang up, delete message and mark as spam
- Contact your bank immediately if money was sent or access was given to someone else. Ask to freeze your accounts and to reverse transactions, if possible
- Contact local law enforcement. Get a case number for possible insurance claims if money was lost
- Change compromised passwords with a new, unique password, and set up twostep authentication
- Report scams to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov to help others learn about scams