Scam Calls: How to Spot, Block, and Report Phone Scams
Scam calls impersonate banks, government agencies, and tech support to steal money or information. Learn the common phone scams and how to handle them.
Scam Calls: How to Spot, Block, and Report Phone Scams
Scam calls — also called vishing (voice phishing) — are phone calls where someone impersonates a bank, a government agency, tech support, or a company to pressure you into paying or sharing information. They remain one of the most common scams in the US and Canada.
The most common scam calls
- Bank fraud calls: "This is your bank's fraud team. We need to move your money to a safe account." Real banks never ask you to move money. See bank/payment scams.
- Government impersonation: "This is the IRS/police. You owe money or face arrest." Real agencies don't threaten arrest over the phone or demand gift cards. See government impersonation.
- Tech support calls: "This is Microsoft/Apple. Your device is infected." These companies don't cold-call about infections. See tech support scams.
- Amazon or retailer calls: "You have a large charge on your account." See Amazon scam.
- Refund/"accidental" calls: offering a refund that turns into remote access or a transfer.
- One-ring scams: a call that rings once to make you call back and rack up charges.
The universal warning signs
- Urgency and threats — arrest, account closure, fines.
- Requests for gift cards, crypto, or wire transfer.
- Requests for your password, OTP, or PIN.
- Pressure to stay on the line and not hang up.
- A request to move money to a "safe account."
How to handle a suspicious call
- Hang up. You're allowed to. A real organization won't mind you calling back through their official number.
- Verify independently. Find the official number on your card, your account, or the organization's website — not from the caller.
- Never give an OTP or password to an inbound caller.
- Never install remote-access software at a caller's request.
How to block scam calls
- Use your phone's built-in spam filtering (silence unknown callers on iPhone, spam filter on Android).
- Register your number with the US National Do Not Call Registry (donotcall.gov) — note that scammers ignore it, but it helps with legitimate telemarketers.
- Use carrier call-screening features.
How to report scam calls
- United States: FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov and the FCC for unwanted calls.
- Canada: Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at antifraudcentre.ca or 1-888-495-8501.
- See country guides for other regions.
If you already paid or shared details
Get a personalized action plan and read what to do if you've been scammed and how to recover money from a scam.
Related guides
Important
This article is for general informational purposes only and is not legal, financial, or professional advice. GoCheckAI is an independent platform and is not affiliated with any government agency. Always report crime to official authorities in your country.
High Risk of Recovery Scam
Scam victims are often targeted again by fake “recovery agents.”
- Anyone claiming “We can recover your money for a small upfront fee” is almost certainly a scammer.
- Recovery is never guaranteed. No legitimate service charges an upfront fee to retrieve stolen funds.
- Scammers buy victim lists — expect fake “hackers”, “officials”, and “lawyers” to contact you.