Hang Up The Phone
- Juanita Headley
- 13 hours ago
- 5 min read
By Juanita Headley Esq.
November 2025 - England
When you receive a phone call from the bank,
Hang up the phone.
Call them back on the number that is on the back of your card.
When you receive a call from your credit card company,
Hang up the phone.
Call them back on the number that is on the back of your credit card.
When you receive a call from your mobile phone provider,
Hang up the phone.
Call them back on the number found on your phone bill or the official phone company website.
When you receive a call from the local police,
Hang up the phone.
Find the local police’s phone number on the official website and call them back.
When you receive a call from tech support saying they will help remove a virus from your computer or provide other assistance,
Hang up the phone.
Call the tech support company directly on the number found on their official website.
When you receive a call saying that your account has been involved in money laundering and has been subsequently frozen,
Hang up the phone.
Go to the official government website to find the correct contact number and call them back.
When you get a phone call from your CEO demanding you immediately transfer money, even if that request is made over video call,
Hang up the phone.
Call the CEO back on the official work phone number that you have.
When you get a call saying that there is a medical emergency with a family member, find out the name of the hospital first,
Hang up the phone.
Call the family member on their personal phone number. However, if the family member isn't reachable, then go on the internet to find the official phone number of the hospital and call them directly.
When you get a call telling you that you’ve won a cash prize or the lottery and to receive your winnings, you're required to send some money first,
Hang up the phone.
Go on the internet, find the official number of the prize or lottery company, and call them directly.
When you receive a phone call from a LinkedIn recruiter telling you to add their number on WhatsApp,
Hang up the phone.
Do not add their number.
When you receive a phone call from your phone company saying you’ve overpaid your bill and are receiving a discount,
Hang up the phone.
Call them back on the number found on your phone company's bill or the official company website.
When you get a call saying your account has been involved in money laundering and you need to transfer all yours funds to a government bank account whilst the investigation is ongoing,
Hang up the phone.
Call the appropriate authorities, locating their number on the official company website.
When you get a phone call from your utility company saying you owe money or are entitled to a refund,
Hang up the phone.
Call them back on the number found on your utility bill or the official company website.
When you get a phone call from your utility company saying you owe significant amounts of money and that serious legal action will be taken if you don’t pay immediately,
Hang up the phone.
Call them back on the number found on your utility bill or the official company website.
When you get a phone call saying you need to transfer funds to another account, buy Bitcoin, or buy Amazon gift cards,
Hang up the phone.
Do not transfer any funds.
When you get a phone call from your online boyfriend, girlfriend or friend that you’ve never met in person, telling you their funds are blocked and they don’t have access to money,
Hang up the phone.
Do not send any money.
When you get a phone call from your online boyfriend, girlfriend or friend that you’ve never met in person, asking for money for a medical bill, debt, food, accommodation, transport, illness, or any other plausible reason,
Hang up the phone.
Do not send any money.
Scammers are skilled at deception and manipulation, using charm and fabricated documents to legitimize everything they tell you:
You may be convinced that the online relationship is real.
You may be convinced that your account has been involved in money laundering.
You may be convinced that you’ve won the lottery.
You may be convinced that you owe a debt to a utility company.
You may be convinced that your computer has a virus.
You may be convinced that you are owed a repayment from the government.
You may be convinced that there’s a great way to make a solid investment.
You may be convinced that your CEO needs you to transfer large sums of money.
You may be convinced that you overpaid your phone bill and are receiving a discount.
You may be convinced that your bank are calling you about suspicious activity in your account.
Remember, with scammers, no matter how convincing they seem, everything they tell you is a lie. This is not the time for courtesy or people-pleasing. It is the time to:
Hang up the phone.
No matter your background, socio-economic status, gender, religion, race, or ethnicity, nobody is unscammable. The first mistake anyone can make is convincing themselves that they cannot be scammed.
Even if friends or family have been targeted, don’t assume that proximity protects you, the reason you haven’t been scammed yet is simply that scammers haven’t used the right script on you.
One thing to consider is that the consistency with all victims, is that they have money. Therefore, if you have cash, stocks, shares, bonds, discretionary income, money in the bank, generous friends or family, access to a credit card, overdraft, or even a student loan, you are at risk of being scammed.
When you accept this reality, you can then take the necessary preventative measures.
The thing to note, is that scammers are not only the ruthless individuals that society often imagines, because while the Chinese mafia fit that description, the vast majority of scammers are people just like you and me, who found themselves on the wrong side of the law after being tricked, deceived, kidnapped or even trafficked into scam compounds in Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.
All the street smarts in the world don’t make you invincible, nor your money untouchable, because no matter how authentic something looks, it isn’t necessarily genuine. Photos, videos, or phone calls don’t guarantee authenticity, because with AI technology, faces, voices, and backgrounds can be deepfaked, making scams even more convincing.
We often overestimate our own judgment and underestimate the power of technology, because even when the warning signs are right in front of us, we suppress them, wanting to believe the situation is real, despite the fact that it is all a huge deception.
A scam doesn’t just take away your money, it can rob you of your dignity, pride, confidence, trust, and emotional security.
Therefore, the single most important lesson is: