10-21-2026 4:17am

A Scam Dictionary: Know Them to Protect Yourself

Lesley Misko Editor

by Anne Gibson*

This is the first of an ongoing column on spams, scams, and protecting yourself online.

What are all these weird terms for online scams?

Security specialists aren’t making up all this jargon just to confuse you. Having different terms for different types of scams makes it easier for the pros to talk about attacks quickly - and when someone’s being scammed, speed is of the essence. It’s also true that the language is confusing.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) maintains an extensive Scam Glossary if you want information about a specific type of scam. Here’s a sampling of the most important terms.

Spam is the term for junk email, inspired by a Monty Python skit by the same name. Most spam is harmless, if annoying, much like the flyers that come in your mail addressed to “Current Resident”. Some spam is actually an attempt to scam you.

Scams are attempts to commit fraud against a person by gaining their trust.

Fraud takes place when someone deliberately misrepresents the facts so that they can take your stuff. They may be trying to get money, convince you to send cell phones or gift cards to themselves or others, steal your identity or open credit account against you… there are a lot of ways to commit fraud. Fraud itself might not be illegal but it’s usually involved in illegal activities.

Social Engineering is the term for using social settings (conversations, text messages, phone calls) to try to convince you to give them information or money that you wouldn’t normally give out to a stranger.

Phishing is the term for a scammer sending out a bulk message (either via email or text message) to thousands of people in an attempt to fool them into giving away sensitive information like login credentials.

Identity theft is when someone uses your personal identity (name, address, credit card or Social Security number, bank account numbers, health insurance accounts) as if they were you.

In summary, if someone coerces you into giving them something (even if it’s information) and you don’t get anything in return, that’s probably illegal.

Your best defense against fraud is to avoid it. Don’t answer the phone if you don’t recognize the caller — and if they act suspiciously, hang up. Don’t click links in text messages if you’re not expecting them. Don’t click links in email if you don’t trust the email. Pause, verify, and protect yourself from scammers.

It’s scam season!

Now that the summer is over and we’re settling back down in front of our technology for the winter, a few reminders, brought to you by the idiots trying to scam me via email or my cell phone.

If it sounds too good to be true it is. Pause, ask for help, then decide.

We’re all human, and we are all capable of being scammed. Scammers spend their entire workday trying to figure out how to scam us. We don’t spend nearly as much time working on not getting scammed.

Just this week I received an email about a job – I thought it was in response to one of the applications I’d submitted. It sounded legit but asked me to provide some information that nobody had asked me before. I checked with friends and they all yelled “NOPE”.

No one is too young or old or anything else to ask a friend or family member for help. No offer is so important that they won’t wait for you. If the contact is legitimate, the people involved will want you to confirm that with others.

So let’s remember:

Customs and Border Patrol doesn’t call you at your home to discuss payment for a package in Mexico or anywhere else for that matter. Don’t give the CBP money over the phone. CBP Warns of Telephone Scam has more information.
If you don’t remember spending $300+ for virus software that’s because you didn’t. Do not reply to email about “your computer’s defense subscription”, McAfee virus products, Norton virus products, etc. Fake Antivirus software and other antivirus scams explains how to spot these scams.
Social Security doesn’t call people randomly. I mean seriously, wouldn’t it be nice if we had a government that had that kind of time? We don’t. Protect Yourself from Scams on the Social Security website tells you what to look out for.
If anyone calls from your bank, your credit card company, your electric company, your water company, your cable company, or anyone else and asks you for a code that was just texted to you, hang up. Similarly, If you get a text message with a code and a robotic (or human) voice calls asking you to give them the code to “reverse fraud on your account” they’re actually trying to commit fraud on your account. Hang up. Don’t give out texted codes. Two-Factor Authentication Scams — What to Know explains how these scams work.
There’s a new scam where people use computers to make a voice that sounds like it could be your adult child and then they tell you that your kid is in jail and you need to send bail money. Hang up and call your kid directly — chances are they’re sitting on the sofa eating popcorn and have no idea what you’re talking about. Talk to your children (and/or your parents) about these scams. They thought loved ones were calling for help. It was an AI Scam at the Washington Post has more information.

If you think you have been scammed out of money or other stuff, call your local police. (If you’re not in immediate physical danger, call the non-emergency line to report the crime.

For more information on current scams and how to avoid them visit the Scamspage on the Federal Trade Commission Consumer Advice site.

* anne m. gibson is a ux [website] designer and general troublemaker just close enough to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, to think a wander through a revolutionary battlefield is not noteworthy. In addition to designing websites, she writes science fiction and fantasy, runs a small publication about web design, plays competitive pinball, and watches the Jack Russell terriers destroy things. anne is a current member of the Science Fiction Writer’s Association. Publicaion history and information on earlier works is available upon request.