“Kim, I got a call — a recording said there’s a $799 order on my Amazon account and to press 1 if I didn’t make it. I never ordered anything for $799. I almost pressed 1.” It’s a smart trick, because …

Mom called a little shaken. “Kim, a man just called and said he’s from the electric company. He says I’m past due and if I don’t pay in the next hour, they’ll shut off my power today. He wants me to p…

Mom asked me something one afternoon that I’ve thought about ever since. “Kim, how do you always know it’s a scam so fast? You barely let them finish.” And I told her the honest truth: half the time, …

Mom called me genuinely worried. “Kim, I got a recorded call. A stern voice said it was the Social Security Administration, that my Social Security number has been suspended because of suspicious acti…

Mom called me sounding a little flattered and a little unsure all at once. “Kim, there’s a gentleman from the book club group online. He started sending me private messages a few weeks ago. He’s very …

Mom called me a little rattled. “Kim, a message just took over my whole screen. It’s flashing red, there’s an alarm sound, and it says Microsoft found a virus and I have to call this number right now …

Mom called me one afternoon, half-worried and half-unsure. “Kim, I just got a text. It says, ‘Grandma, it’s Jenny, I’m in a bad spot and I need $100 over Zelle right away — I’ll call you right after.’…

Mom called me with her reading glasses still on. “Kim, I have an email from Apple. It says there’s a problem with my account and I need to sign in today or it’ll be locked. There’s a blue button.” Thi…

Mom called me on a Tuesday. “Kim, I got an email from McAfee. It says my protection expired and they’re charging me $140 for the renewal. Do I need to pay it?” Here’s what I told her: No, Mom. You don…

Mom called me on a Sunday afternoon, and she sounded excited. “Kim, I got an email — they charged me $399 by mistake and they’re very sorry. I just need to call this number to get my money back. Shoul…