The method
The PROVE IT™ Method
Five simple steps, short enough to remember when fear and urgency hit.
Step 1: Pause
Scammers create urgency. Stop. Take a breath.
Every scam runs on a clock that someone else set. Urgency is the tool — it stops you from thinking. When a message or a caller says you must act right now, that pressure itself is the warning. Nothing legitimate falls apart because you took ten minutes, or a full day, to think it over.
What it looks like in real life
A caller says your grandson is in jail and the bail money must be wired within the hour. You put the phone down and take a breath before doing anything at all.
Step 2: Review for Red Flags
Look closely for warning signs. Trust your instincts.
Read it again, slowly, out loud if that helps. Look for spelling errors, odd greetings, an email address that almost matches a real company, a phone number you don't recognize, threats, secrecy, or a request for gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency, or payment apps. If something feels off, it is off. Your instincts have served you for decades.
What it looks like in real life
An email says it is from your bank, but the address ends in a string of random letters and it opens with “Dear Customer” instead of your name.
Step 3: Obtain a Second Opinion
Talk to someone you trust. Fraud hates conversation.
Scammers tell you to keep it quiet. That instruction exists because saying the story out loud to another person is often all it takes to break the spell. Call your spouse, your neighbor, your daughter, your bank's local branch, or the front desk at your senior center. There is no shame in asking — these criminals are professionals.
What it looks like in real life
Someone claiming to be from a government office tells you not to discuss the case with anyone. You hang up and immediately tell your daughter what happened.
Step 4: Verify Independently
Use official sources YOU find. Don't rely on what they give you.
Never use the phone number, link, or website that the other person handed you. Hang up and dial the number printed on the back of your card, on your paper statement, or on your official bill. Type the web address yourself. If the person on the line is who they claim to be, they will still be reachable through the real number.
What it looks like in real life
A text says your account is locked and gives you a link. You ignore the link, hang up, and call the number on the back of your own debit card instead.
Step 5: End the Interaction if Unsure
If you can't verify it, end it. Walk away.
You never owe a stranger your time, your patience, or an explanation. Hang up. Close the door. Delete the message. Block the number. You do not have to be polite to someone trying to take what is yours. Ending an interaction is always allowed, and it is always the safe choice when anything remains unclear.
What it looks like in real life
The contractor at your door will not leave and keeps lowering the price. You say “No, thank you,” close the door, and call a company you found yourself.
Keep it by the phone
My Fraud Protection Contacts
One page with the numbers you should call instead of the numbers a stranger gives you: your bank, your card company, a trusted family member, your local police non-emergency line, and where to report fraud. Print it, fill it in, and keep it next to the phone.
Free workbook
Everything here, in large print
The Fraud Awareness Workbook for Seniors walks through each step with practice exercises you can do at the kitchen table.