Urgency: A Warning Sign of a Scam

Scammers may target specific people, but they often cast a wide net to reach as many potential victims as possible. Their tactics include impersonating a person, business, or government agency, inventing stories to lure people in, and pushing urgency for victims to act. Learn more about how to spot urgency; a popular warning sign of a scam.

My Experience with an Urgent Scam Call

While considering what to share with you about common scams, I unexpectedly received a call from an unfamiliar number. As I usually do with numbers I don’t recognize, I let it go to voicemail. The caller left an urgent message claiming there was a problem with my bank account and insisting that I call back immediately to resolve it. It was a scam!

The message raised several warning signs. The caller provided the name Monica but did not identify the bank or explain the supposed problem. Instead, the message repeatedly pressed me to return the call immediately using the number provided.

How I Responded

Just to be 100% sure, I checked the claim independently. I opened my mobile banking app as I normally would. I found no issues with my account, which reinforced my conclusion that the call was a scam. I reported the number and deleted the message without responding using my cellphone carrier’s scam reporting tool.

Why I Did Not Call Back

Scammers want you to believe their claims, then panic, and follow their instructions. Calling a possible scammer back to check whether a message is legitimate is a no-no as it gives them another opportunity to deceive, persuade, or pressure you. Never call back a potential scammer because interacting with them authenticates your contact information and can pull you deep into their scam.

Why Scammers Create a Sense of Urgency

Scammers typically seek your money, personal information, or both. They may already know details about you from a data breach involving unauthorized access to or disclosure of personal information. That knowledge can make a fraudulent call sound credible. Their methods often combine manipulation, deceptive technology, and impersonation:

• Psychological manipulation: Scammers use fear, excitement, or urgency to push you into acting before you think. For example, a caller may claim your bank account is at risk and demand an immediate response.
• Technological deception: Scammers use technology to make a false identity seem genuine. For example, they may alter caller ID (called spoofing) so a call appears to come from your bank.
• Social engineering: Scammers exploit trust to persuade you to share information or take an action. For example, someone posing as a bank representative may ask for a login verification code, claiming it is needed to resolve a problem. Never give these out to callers.

Interrupting Pressure

Urgency and time pressure can make it harder to assess a caller’s claims. Scammers use these tactics purposely to pull off their scams. Scammers want you to send money or share account information to quickly “fix” a problem before you have time to question it. Once you act, recovering money or securing your information can be difficult.

Here’s what you can do instead:

Pause and verify: If you are uncertain whether a call is legitimate, take time to investigate. Interrupt the pressure by independently contacting your financial institution or reviewing your account as you normally would.
Use trusted contact information: Never use a phone number or link supplied by a suspected scammer.
End the call: Scammers frequently use high pressure tactics, whereas legitimate businesses and organizations generally do not. If a caller pressures you to disclose account information, it’s probably a scam. Do not share information or send money. Simply hang up. If the scammer persists, block the caller if necessary. To be on the safe side, join the National Do Not Call Registry, designed to stop telemarketing calls from reaching you.

Pause Before You Act

You do not need to answer every call immediately. Letting an unknown or questionable caller go to voicemail is not rude. It gives you time to review the message and consider it without pressure. If the message seems legitimate, you can investigate before responding.

Per Apple Support, there is the option to bypass the disruption of getting calls from unsaved numbers on your iPhone. Go to: Settings > Apps > Phone > Silence Unknown Callers and turn on the Silence Unknown Callers switch. This typically silences calls from unsaved numbers, sends them to voicemail, and displays them on your Recents list. Be aware that calling and data rates may apply. Note that Android phones have a similar Filter Spam Calls features. Check with your carrier as each is different.

Investigating the Call: Verifying the Claim Independently

You listen to your voicemail. The caller claims to be from your bank and reports a problem with your account. The caller leaves a phone number and instructs you to call them back right away. Should you immediately return the call?  Experts say no, because it might be a scammer. It is safer to confirm whether the caller and the claimed problem are genuine. Always do this through a separate, trusted channel. Contact the organization (here, your banking institution) using the number on your account statement or its official website, not a number supplied by the caller. Remember that scammers can spoof phone numbers (falsify caller ID to trick people) so you cannot rely on caller ID information to verify authenticity.

Family Emergency Scam

If an unexpected caller claims to be a friend or relative in distress or asks for money, hang up and verify the story by calling that person at a number you already know - not one the caller provides. An emergency password may help confirm whether the situation is genuine, but it is not foolproof: people can accidentally disclose passwords. A familiar voice is not proof of identity either, because scammers can clone voices to deceive you.

Other Pressure Tactics to Recognize

Fabricated, urgent emergencies: A caller invents a crisis to make immediate payment seem necessary, for example, claiming a relative needs urgent financial help. They may try to confuse potential victims to further their scam.

Fear and intimidation: A caller threatens serious consequences, such as arrest or fines, unless you pay immediately. These threats are intended to frighten you into complying. Note that legitimate businesses and organizations do not threaten people with arrest or fines.

Isolation and secrecy: A caller tells you not to discuss the request with anyone, for example, insisting that you keep a supposed emergency confidential. This is a tactic that scammers use to discourage victims from seeking another perspective or checking the story.

Too-good-to-be-true offers: A caller promises an unexpected prize or unusually generous deal. For example, you may be told you have won a lottery but must pay a fee before receiving the winnings. This, of course, is a ruse.

Tools and Methods Scammers Use

Scammers may combine deceptive technology with fraudulent calls and payment demands. Urgency is often an underlying theme.

Common methods include:

• AI voice cloning: Artificial intelligence can imitate a person’s voice using an audio sample. A scammer may use that imitation to make a false request sound as though it comes from someone you know.
• Caller ID spoofing: A caller falsifies the information displayed on your phone to appear to be a trusted organization or a local number.
• Vishing (voice phishing): Fraudulent phone calls or voice messages are used to trick you into revealing sensitive information, such as passwords or bank details.
• One-time passcode (OTP) theft: A scammer asks you to share a temporary account verification code, often while pretending to help resolve fraud. That code may let the scammer access your account. Do not share it with an unexpected caller.
• Unusual payment demands: Scammers may insist on gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfers, or payment apps because these payments provide quick cash and are difficult for victims to recover. Treat an unexpected caller’s insistence on these methods as a warning sign.
• Urging you to act fast to fix a problem: Scammers may insist that you act immediately to resolve a problem. Typically, it is a set up. For example, a stranger sends money through a payment app, claims it was a mistake, and pressures you to return it immediately. The reality: Sending money back creates a separate transaction which does not cancel the original payment. When the original payment is reversed, you end up losing the money you sent. Understand that when you are asked to make a payment to “fix” or “reverse” an account problem, such as reversing an overpayment, you are likely being scammed. Refund and recovery scams are also concerning, as scammers go after people who have already lost money.
• Reciprocity: Some scammers offer a small gift or simple service to make you feel obligated to give more in return. They exploit guilt or the sense that accepting something means you owe them.

Let’s Review: How to Protect Yourself

An unfamiliar call can spark curiosity or concern that you might miss something important. But fear of missing out (FOMO) is not a reason to answer every call. Let unfamiliar callers leave a voicemail so you can review the message without pressure.

Before responding, check the caller’s claims through a trusted contact method. Do not rely on the displayed number, a familiar-sounding voice, or instructions in the message. If the request may be legitimate, contact the person or organization independently rather than simply calling the supplied number.

Scammers Will Stop at Nothing

The truth is that scammers do not care about their victims and the financial and emotional turmoil they cause. They are conniving, convincing, and in it for themselves. And they will continue going, moving on to find more victims. That is why staying alert and reporting scams matters. Reporting may sometimes help you recover money, but its main purpose is to help combat scams, warn others, and prevent them from spreading.

Report Suspicious Calls

Hang up on suspicious callers without engaging; you do not need to be polite. If a scammer threatens or harasses you and you feel unsafe, promptly contact the police. Do not let shame or self-blame stop you from reporting a scam. Report account-related scams immediately to your bank, financial institution, or retailer. Report suspected fraud to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and unwanted calls, robocalls, or caller ID spoofing to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Consumer Complaint Center. Report IRS-related scams (tax fraud/tax scams/identity theft) swiftly to the government organization at www.irs.gov/help/report-fraud. These reports help agencies identify patterns and support enforcement efforts against scammers.

Recognizing Urgency: Pause, Verify & Report Demands

Urgency is a warning sign of a scam: callers may invent emergencies, impersonate trusted contacts, or threaten consequences to pressure you into sending money or sharing information before you can question their claims. Pause and verify the request through a trusted contact method, and do not rely on caller ID or a familiar voice as proof of identity. Report suspicious calls and suspected fraud to help agencies identify patterns and protect others. Recognizing pressure gives you time to make an informed decision rather than act on a scammer’s demands.