Every source from the talk
Every number and story from the talk, with its source and a link, grouped by section. Links checked October 24 to 26, 2026.
The texts that start it
- Real opening texts: “hi, how are you?”, “Hi Mike, are we still on for 11 am tomorrow?”, “Sorry I couldn’t make it to the event!”, and “please let me know if you’re still interested in touring the property today.” FTC consumer alert, 2024; NASAA investor advisory, 2024; Massachusetts consumer affairs office, 2022 https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2024/05/why-its-not-rude-ignore-hi-how-are-you-text-messages-strangers https://www.nasaa.org/66411/informed-investor-advisory-unsoliticed-text-messages https://www.mass.gov/news/scam-alert-wrong-number-texts
- Wrong-number texts often turn into a friendly or romantic conversation that leads to an investment scam. Americans lost $470 million to text scams in 2024, five times 2020. FTC press release, April 16, 2025 https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/04/new-ftc-data-show-top-text-message-scams-2024-overall-losses-text-scams-hit-470-million
- A text message was the most common way scammers first reached people in 2025. FTC testimony to the Joint Economic Committee, March 25, 2026 https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/ftc-testimony-jec-hearing-on-the-rising-scam-economy.pdf
How big this is
- The FBI received 1,008,597 complaints in 2025, with $20.877 billion reported lost, up 26%. FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), 2025 Annual Report https://www.ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2025_IC3Report.pdf
- People reported losing $15.9 billion to fraud to the FTC in 2025. FTC testimony to the Joint Economic Committee, March 25, 2026 https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/ftc-testimony-jec-hearing-on-the-rising-scam-economy.pdf
- Only about 1 in 20 fraud victims (4.8%) report it to a government agency or the Better Business Bureau. FTC, Protecting Older Consumers report, October 2026 https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/2026-older-adults-report-10192026.pdf
After the flood
- The San Juan River crested just over 15 feet at the Pagosa Springs gauge around 5:30 a.m. on October 23, 2026, the highest crest since 1911. Pagosa SUN, October 23, 2026 https://www.pagosasun.com/stories/flooding-update-river-levels-declining-as-town-continues-emergency-response,157214
- After a disaster: FEMA doesn’t charge application fees; get written estimates; never pay a contractor by wire, gift card, payment app, crypto, or cash; make the final payment when the work is done. FEMA inspectors wear a government badge, never charge for an inspection, and don’t ask for bank information. FTC, How To Avoid Scams After Weather Emergencies and Natural Disasters, September 2025; FEMA, Disaster Fraud https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-avoid-scams-after-weather-emergencies-and-natural-disasters https://www.fema.gov/assistance/individual/disaster-fraud
- Price gouging is illegal in Colorado during a declared disaster and for 180 days after. The governor’s disaster declaration covers Archuleta County. C.R.S. 6-1-730; KKTV, October 24, 2026 https://colorado.public.law/statutes/crs_6-1-730 https://www.kktv.com/2026/10/24/governor-jared-polis-expands-flood-disaster-emergency-12-southwest-colorado-counties-100-national-guard-members-deployed/
- The National Center for Disaster Fraud closed on March 31, 2026. Report FEMA-related fraud to the DHS Office of Inspector General hotline, 1-800-323-8603; consumer fraud to the FTC; state and local fraud to the state attorney general. U.S. Department of Justice, NCDF closure notice; DHS Office of Inspector General https://www.justice.gov/archives/disaster-fraud https://www.oig.dhs.gov/hotline
- Public adjusters must be licensed in Colorado, can’t take a fee before the claim settles, and their contracts can be canceled in writing within 72 hours. Colorado Attorney General advisory https://coag.gov/app/uploads/2022/01/Boulder-Fire-Advisory-What-does-a-public-adjuster-do-and-do-I-need-one.pdf
- Local flood information: Archuleta County updates and road closures, including the incident call center and the Red Cross at the evacuation center; Colorado 211 disaster help; Crisis Cleanup volunteer hotline, 970-283-7325; Nixle sign-up. Archuleta County; Colorado 211 https://www.archuletacounty.gov/2026/10/archuleta-county-flooding-update-and-road-closures/ https://www.archuletacounty.gov/2026/10/crisis-clean-up-hotline-can-be-reached-at-970-283-7325/ https://www.archuletacounty.gov/services/citizens-alert-nixle/ https://www.211colorado.org/disaster-response/
- The Community Foundation serving Southwest Colorado activated the Archuleta Community Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) for the flood on October 23, 2026. Donate online (“CERF: 2026 Archuleta Flood Recovery”) or by check with “2026 Archuleta Flood” in the memo. Archuleta County, October 23, 2026; Community Foundation donation page https://www.archuletacounty.gov/2026/10/community-foundation-activates-cerf-fund-to-assist-with-flood-recovery/ https://cfssc.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=3839
- Pagosa Flood Relief is a program of Pagosa Springs Friends of the Wild, a 501(c)(3) in Pagosa Springs (EIN 41-2474423, exempt since December 2025). It organizes volunteers, supplies, and deliveries, and takes requests for help. Pagosa Flood Relief; IRS exempt-organization data via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer https://pagosafloodrelief.org/about https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/412474423
Parents and grandparents
- People 60 and over reported losing $7.7 billion to internet fraud to the FBI in 2025, up 59%, more than any other age group. Average loss: about $38,500. FBI IC3, 2025 Annual Report https://www.ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2025_IC3Report.pdf
- Colorado, people 60 and over: $144.5 million lost and 4,061 complaints in 2025. All ages in Colorado: $355 million. FBI IC3, 2025 Annual Report, state tables https://www.ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2025_IC3Report.pdf
- Counting fraud that was never reported, the FTC estimates older Americans lost between $13.3 billion and $119.5 billion in 2025. FTC, Protecting Older Consumers report, October 2026 https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/2026-older-adults-report-10192026.pdf
- People 60 and over lost $3.52 billion to investment fraud and more than $1 billion to fake tech support in 2025. FBI IC3, 2025 Annual Report https://www.ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2025_IC3Report.pdf
- Crypto investment fraud was the biggest loss category: $7.2 billion. People 60 and over lost $2.76 billion of it. FBI IC3, 2025 Annual Report https://www.ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2025_IC3Report.pdf
- Couriers collecting cash or gold at the door: about 725 complaints and $311.8 million lost in 2025. FBI IC3, 2025 Annual Report https://www.ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2025_IC3Report.pdf
- Crypto ATMs: $389 million reported lost in 2025, up 58%. People 60 and over lost $257 million of it. FBI IC3, 2025 Annual Report https://www.ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2025_IC3Report.pdf
- In Colorado, 332 people reported losing $9.46 million at crypto kiosks in 2025. FBI public service announcement, May 15, 2026 https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2026/PSA260515-2
- Colorado law since January 1, 2026: a new kiosk customer (a customer for less than 7 days) can put in at most $2,000 a day, an existing customer $10,500. The kiosk company must fully refund a customer’s first crypto transaction, within 72 hours, if it went to a wallet outside the U.S. and the customer contacts the company and law enforcement within 60 days with proof of fraud (C.R.S. 11-112-103(7)). Colorado SB25-079 (C.R.S. 11-112-103), signed June 2, 2025 https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb25-079 https://content.leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2025A/bills/sl/2025a_sl_341.pdf
- Victims of impersonation scams are told to move money to keep it “safe”: transfer it, mail cash, or use Bitcoin ATMs. FTC, Protecting Older Consumers report, October 2026 https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/2026-older-adults-report-10192026.pdf
- Older adults reporting losses over $100,000 to impersonators: $55 million in 2020, $445 million in 2024. FTC press release, August 7, 2025 https://ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/08/ftc-data-show-more-four-fold-increase-reports-impersonation-scammers-stealing-tens-even-hundreds
- Listeners judged a cloned voice to be the same person as the real speaker about 80% of the time. Barrington, Cooper and Farid, Scientific Reports, 2025 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11958761/
- Voice cloning can work from seconds of audio: 3 seconds in Microsoft’s VALL-E research, 15 seconds for OpenAI’s model. Wang et al., arXiv, 2023; OpenAI, 2024 https://arxiv.org/abs/2301.02111 https://openai.com/index/navigating-the-challenges-and-opportunities-of-synthetic-voices/
- Spoofing: faking the caller ID. “Neighbor spoofing” makes a call look local. FCC consumer guide https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/spoofing-and-caller-id
- Pig butchering translates the Chinese term sha zhu pan, fattening a hog before slaughter. These scams often open with a “wrong number” or “old friend” message. FinCEN alert, September 2023 https://www.fincen.gov/sites/default/files/shared/FinCEN_Alert_Pig_Butchering_FINAL_508c.pdf
- Americans reported an estimated $12.5 billion in losses to Southeast Asia-based scam groups in 2025, which the State Department calls a conservative figure. U.S. State Department testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, August 6, 2026 https://www.foreign.senate.gov/download/080626_desombre_testimonypdf
- About 1 in 5 elder financial exploitation reports filed by banks involve theft by a trusted person; adult children in nearly 40% of those. FinCEN, April 2024 https://www.fincen.gov/system/files/shared/FTA_Elder_Financial_Exploitation_508Final.pdf
- Losses were about 3 times higher when the victim knew the person ($50,000 vs. $17,000). Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 2019 https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_suspicious-activity-reports-elder-financial-exploitation_report.pdf
- People later diagnosed with dementia start missing bill payments up to 6 years before the diagnosis. JAMA Internal Medicine, 2021 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2773241
- Low scam awareness is linked to higher Alzheimer’s risk. Annals of Internal Medicine, 2019; Alzheimer’s and Dementia, 2025 https://doi.org/10.7326/m18-2711 https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.14544
- In 2025 the FBI warned 3,780 people who were in the middle of a crypto investment scam; 78% didn’t know they were being scammed. FBI IC3, 2025 Annual Report (Operation Level Up) https://www.ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2025_IC3Report.pdf
- Grandparent scam call centers in the Dominican Republic: callers posed as grandchildren arrested after an accident, then as lawyers or police; couriers collected cash at victims’ homes. U.S. Department of Justice, April 30, 2024 and August 5, 2024 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/sixteen-defendants-charged-connection-transnational-grandparent-scam-operated-dominican https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/three-additional-dominican-nationals-extradited-face-grandparent-scam-charges
- Erin West: 26 years as a deputy district attorney in Santa Clara County; founder of Operation Shamrock, a coalition of more than 2,000 law enforcement professionals. To Congress: these networks are “transferring generational wealth out of the American economy.” Erin West, written statement to the House Select Committee on the CCP, May 2026 https://www.operationshamrock.org/blog/2026-06-us-house-select-committee-china-erin-west-statement https://www.operationshamrock.org
- At least 120,000 people in Myanmar and 100,000 in Cambodia may be held and forced to run scams. UN human rights office report, August 2023, via UN News https://news.un.org/en/node/1140187
- Crypto investment fraud is “largely perpetrated by organized criminal enterprises based in Southeast Asia using victims of human trafficking.” Tech support and government impersonation call centers: more than 80,000 complaints and $2.9 billion lost. FBI IC3, 2025 Annual Report https://www.ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2025_IC3Report.pdf
- Bitcoin machines along US 160: three in Pagosa Springs (both Speedways and Stockton Gas, through LibertyX), seven in Durango, none listed in Bayfield. LibertyX and CoinFlip location finders, October 25, 2026 https://libertyx.com/a/locations https://locations.coinflip.tech/us/co/durango
- True story: in 2020, Philadelphia attorney Gary Schildhorn got a call in his son’s voice about a wreck and an arrest, then a “public defender” asking for $9,000 through a bitcoin kiosk. He called family first. His son was fine, and he lost nothing. Gary Schildhorn, written testimony to the Senate Special Committee on Aging, November 16, 2023 https://www.aging.senate.gov/download/03/28/2024/testimony_schildhorn-111623?download=1
- True story, Pagosa Springs, April 2023: callers posing as Pagosa Springs police told residents they had missed jury duty and owed bail, with a Town Hall number on caller ID. Police said they will never call asking for money. Pagosa SUN, April 5, 2023 https://www.pagosasun.com/stories/scammers-claiming-to-be-with-pagosa-springs-police-department-target-residents,18883
- True story, Arizona, 2023: Jennifer DeStefano heard her 15-year-old sobbing on the phone, then a man demanding $1 million. Her daughter was safe at home the whole time. Jennifer DeStefano, testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee, June 13, 2023 https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/download/2023-06-13-pm-testimony-destefano?download=1
- True story, 2024: a 77-year-old retired nurse lost more than $400,000 in seven weeks to a man posing as an FTC officer. Men posing as undercover FBI agents came to her home three times for boxes of her money. CNET, October 19, 2026, summarizing PCMag https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/seniors-lose-money-to-investment-scams-ftc-report/
- FTC, 2025: investment scams were older adults’ top loss category, over $1 billion and up 42%. Text-scam losses for people 60 and over rose 61%. Older adults were 324% more likely than younger adults to report losing money to tech support scams. FTC, Protecting Older Consumers report, October 19, 2026 https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/2026-older-adults-report-10192026.pdf
- True story, Missouri, August 2025: a school resource officer saw an older woman at a bitcoin machine with an envelope of cash and the caller on speaker. He stepped in, and she kept her money. KCTV5, August 27, 2025 https://www.kctv5.com/2025/08/27/missouri-woman-saved-devastating-financial-loss-after-officer-spots-potential-scam
- True story, Keystone, Colorado, 2024: bank staff saw a distressed customer withdrawing $8,000 for a fake missed-jury-duty fine and called a deputy before she handed it over. KKTV, September 1, 2024 https://www.kktv.com/2024/09/01/bank-employees-save-colorado-woman-scam
Kids and teens
- NCMEC received more than 50,000 financial sextortion reports in 2025, about 137 a day, up from more than 36,000 in 2024. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, June 25, 2026 https://www.missingkids.org/blog/2026/ncmec-releases-new-sextortion-data-2025
- NCMEC is aware of at least three dozen U.S. teen boys who died by suicide after being targeted. Online enticement reports reached 1.4 million in 2025. NCMEC CyberTipline data https://www.missingkids.org/gethelpnow/cybertipline/cybertiplinedata
- Typical targets are boys 14 to 17. Offenders are usually outside the U.S., mainly in West Africa. It “can happen quickly, sometimes in just five minutes.” FBI, financially motivated sextortion https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes/sextortion/financially-motivated-sextortion
- Threats often start within hours of first contact. Of victims who mentioned paying, 27% faced more demands. Thorn and NCMEC, 2024 https://www.thorn.org/research/library/financial-sextortion/
- About 15% of U.S. 13 to 17 year olds had been targeted for sextortion, linked to suicidal thoughts and behavior. Patchin and Hinduja, Child Abuse and Neglect, 2026 https://cyberbullying.org/sextortion-suicide
- 1 in 7 young victims harmed themselves, and 16% told no one. 13% of victims were extorted with an AI-generated nude. Thorn, June 2025 https://www.thorn.org/press-releases/new-data-reveals-the-devastating-toll-of-sextortion-on-kids/
- About 1 in 5 kids 9 to 17 (22%) report an online sexual interaction with someone they believed was an adult. Thorn, Youth Perspectives on Online Safety, 2025 https://info.thorn.org/hubfs/Research/Thorn_2025YouthPerspectives_Report.pdf
- True story: Jordan DeMay, 17, of Marquette, Michigan, died by suicide in March 2022 after being targeted for sextortion. Two men from Lagos, Nigeria, were extradited and sentenced in 2024 to 17½ years in federal prison. Associated Press via ABC News, September 2024 https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/2-nigerian-brothers-sentenced-sextortion-led-teens-death-113427868
- Of Roblox users who have passed an age check, 35% are under 13 and 38% are 13 to 17: 73% under 18. Roblox, second-quarter 2026 earnings filed with the SEC https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1315098/000162828026051059/ex991-robloxq22026earnin.htm
- Reports to NCMEC filed by Roblox: 13,316 in 2023, 24,522 in 2024, 65,381 in 2025. NCMEC, 2025 reports by electronic service provider https://www.missingkids.org/content/dam/missingkids/pdfs/2025-reports-by-esp.pdf
- Nearly 80 federal lawsuits against Roblox allege that predators groom kids on Roblox, then move them to Discord, Snapchat, or Instagram. These are allegations. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation order, December 12, 2025 https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-jpml-1_25-F-03166/pdf/USCOURTS-jpml-1_25-F-03166-0.pdf
- Ten states and Los Angeles County have sued Roblox; a Senate subcommittee opened an investigation on August 12, 2026. Roblox quarterly report (10-Q); Hawley and Durbin letter https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1315098/000162828026051082/rblx-20260630.htm https://www.hawley.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/2026.08.12-Hawley-Durbin-Letter-to-Roblox.pdf
- 85% of teens play video games; 97% of teen boys. Pew Research Center, 2024 https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2024/05/09/teens-and-video-games-today/
- “Free Robux” generators and offers are scams. Roblox support https://en.help.roblox.com/hc/en-us/articles/204262550-Free-Robux-or-Subscription-Generators
- About 1 in 50 kids, roughly 1 million a year, have their identity stolen. Javelin Strategy and Research, child identity fraud study https://www.javelinstrategy.com/child-identity-fraud-study
- Acting as a money mule is “illegal and punishable, even if you aren’t aware you’re committing a crime.” FBI, money mules https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes/money-mules
- Signs to watch for in kids: a new online “friend” who wants to switch apps; gift cards or game currency from strangers; hiding the screen; upset or withdrawn after being online; a lot more or less time online; words or topics too old for them. One sign isn’t proof. Arizona DPS, Kid Safe; NCMEC, online enticement and sextortion; NSPCC, signs a child may be groomed https://www.azdps.gov/kidsafe https://www.missingkids.org/theissues/onlineenticement https://www.missingkids.org/theissues/sextortion https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/safeguarding-child-protection/child-groomed-signs
- iPhone and iPad: Screen Time, Ask to Buy, Allowed Contacts (iOS 27 or later), and Communication Safety, which blurs nudity and is on by default for kids under 18. Apple Support: Screen Time; Ask to Buy; Choose who your child can communicate with; About Communication Safety https://support.apple.com/en-us/108806 https://support.apple.com/en-us/105055 https://support.apple.com/guide/child-safety/choose-who-your-child-can-communicate-with-gkz40jx9zf5r/web https://support.apple.com/en-us/105069
- Android: Google Family Link app approvals, and limiting calls and texts to contacts a parent adds (Android 14 or later; regular calls and texts only). Google Family Link Help: Get started; Add supervision; Purchase and download approvals; Set up your child’s contacts https://support.google.com/families/answer/7101025?hl=en https://support.google.com/families/answer/9055704?hl=en https://support.google.com/families/answer/7039872?hl=en https://support.google.com/families/answer/15843584?hl=en
- Roblox: parent account linking, chat and trusted-friend controls, and spending limits; age checks required to chat since January 7, 2026; Roblox Kids and Select accounts since June 16, 2026. Roblox Support: How to link your account; Parental controls overview; Roblox newsroom, January 7 and June 16, 2026 https://en.help.roblox.com/hc/en-us/articles/30428321333140-Parents-How-to-Link-Your-Account https://en.help.roblox.com/hc/en-us/articles/30428310121620-Parental-Controls-Overview https://about.roblox.com/newsroom/2026/01/roblox-age-checks-required-to-chat https://about.roblox.com/newsroom/2026/06/age-based-roblox-kids-and-select-accounts-now-globally-available
- Fortnite and other Epic games: text and voice chat set to Friends Only or Nobody, and a PIN to add friends or spend money. Epic Games: Parental controls; How do I set up Parental Controls through the Epic Games Account? https://safety.epicgames.com/parental-controls https://www.epicgames.com/help/account-c-45487929/parental-controls-c-43755296/how-do-i-set-up-parental-controls-through-the-epic-games-account-a13853564
- Minecraft uses Xbox settings for multiplayer, friends, and chat. Minecraft: Parental controls in Minecraft https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/parental-controls
- Game consoles: Xbox Family Settings app, PlayStation Family app, Nintendo Switch Parental Controls app. Xbox; PlayStation; Nintendo https://www.xbox.com/en-US/apps/family-settings-app https://www.playstation.com/en-us/support/account/ps-family-app/ https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/22508/
- Instagram teen accounts are private by default, can’t be messaged by people they aren’t connected to, and blur suspected nudity in messages; teens under 16 need a parent’s permission to loosen settings. Supervision setup, and what parents can see. Instagram Help: Set up teen supervision; Meta Family Center: Supervision tools, Instagram teen accounts; Meta newsroom, July 23, 2025 https://help.instagram.com/472274307935829/ https://familycenter.meta.com/supervision/ https://familycenter.meta.com/instagram-safety/ https://about.fb.com/news/2025/07/expanding-teen-account-protections-child-safety-features/
- Snapchat Family Center shows a teen’s friends and who they chat with, not the messages; built-in protections for 13 to 17. Snapchat: Family Center; Safeguards for teens https://parents.snapchat.com/family-center https://parents.snapchat.com/safeguards-for-teens
- Discord Family Center shows who a teen added, messaged, or called in the last week, and their top servers, not the messages. Discord: Family Center for parents and guardians https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/14155043715735-Family-Center-for-Parents-and-Guardians
- TikTok Family Pairing setup; direct messages only for users 16 and older; one-hour daily limit by default for 13 to 17; parents can block accounts. TikTok: Family Pairing; For parents and guardians https://www.tiktok.com/support/faq_detail?id=7543604781667867142 https://www.tiktok.com/support/faq_detail?id=7611812700682951180
- YouTube supervised accounts for kids under 13 and for teens 13 to 17. YouTube Help https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/10314940?hl=en https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/15252891
- The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends keeping phones and screens out of children’s bedrooms at night. The house rules by age are Taylor’s recommendations built on that advice. AAP, HealthyChildren.org, Healthy Sleep Habits; AAP Family Media Plan https://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/sleep/Pages/healthy-sleep-habits-how-many-hours-does-your-child-need.aspx https://www.healthychildren.org/English/fmp/Pages/MediaPlan.aspx
- More help for parents: Thorn for Parents; NetSmartz tip sheets; FBI, financially motivated sextortion; Take It Down. Thorn; NCMEC; FBI https://parents.thorn.org/ https://parents.thorn.org/guides/sextortion/ https://www.missingkids.org/netsmartz/resources https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/scams-and-safety/common-frauds-and-scams/sextortion/financially-motivated-sextortion https://takeitdown.ncmec.org/
The family plan
- “Create a secret word or phrase with your family to verify their identity.” FBI public service announcement, December 3, 2024 https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2024/PSA241203
- Hang up and call back on a number you already have. FCC, caller ID spoofing https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/spoofing-and-caller-id
- Credit freezes are free, including for kids under 16. Contact all three bureaus. FTC, credit freezes and fraud alerts https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-know-about-credit-freezes-and-fraud-alerts
- Trusted contact person: brokerages must ask for one; banks offer it voluntarily. FINRA Rule 4512; CFPB https://www.finra.org/rules-guidance/rulebooks/finra-rules/4512 https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_trusted-contacts-consumers_2021-11.pdf
- Screen unknown callers on iPhone; filter spam calls on Android. Apple support; Google Phone app help https://support.apple.com/en-us/111106 https://support.google.com/phoneapp/answer/3459196
If it happens
- Call the bank or payment company right away and ask them to reverse the payment. FTC, what to do if you were scammed https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-do-if-you-were-scammed
- The FBI’s Recovery Asset Team froze $679 million in 2025, mostly wire transfers reported quickly. FBI IC3, 2025 Annual Report https://www.ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2025_IC3Report.pdf
- True story, August 2025: an older adult wired $52,000 to scammers. It was reported fast, and the FBI’s recovery team froze more than $51,000 of it. FTC, Protecting Older Consumers report, October 2026, p. 13 https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/2026-older-adults-report-10192026.pdf
- Archuleta County: report abuse or exploitation of an at-risk adult at 1-844-264-5437, 24/7. The county Department of Human Services is 970-264-2182. Archuleta County Adult Protective Services; Colorado Department of Human Services APS intake list https://www.archuletacounty.gov/county-government/departments/department-of-human-services-dhs/adult-protective-services/ https://cdhs.colorado.gov/report-mistreatment-or-self-neglect-of-an-at-risk-adult
- The teen section follows safe-messaging guidelines for talking about suicide. SAVE, safe messaging guidelines https://www.save.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Safe-Messaging-Guidelines-.pdf