One Rule That Always Holds

Close-up of hands turning over a bank card to look at the phone number on the back, with a smartphone ready beside it on a kitchen counter.

If you get a call, email, or message from anyone claiming to be from a government agency, your bank, or a tech support team, follow two steps before you do anything else.

Hang up or close the message. Then find the organization's real contact details yourself: on their official website, on the back of your card, or on a bill. Call that number. Not the one they gave you.

If the contact asks you to pay through a crypto ATM, gift cards, or a wire transfer, stop.^[1] That instruction alone is your answer. This is the U and S in PAUSE. Use official channels. Stop if someone asks you to send money in an unusual way.

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