Teach one four-step habit: Stop, Check, Verify, Report. When an unexpected text asks for money or information—or tries to rush your parent—don’t reply, tap its link, or use its phone number. Look up the organization’s contact details independently, and check together if the message feels alarming. The goal is not to decide from the text alone whether it is fake; it is to keep the text from directing the response.
What should your parent do when an unexpected text arrives?
Make the response short enough to remember and easy to keep beside the phone:
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- Stop. Don’t reply, tap a link, call a number in the message, or share personal or financial information.
- Check. Ask whether the message was expected. Surprise account warnings, delivery problems, threats, refunds, urgent deadlines, and instructions to pay are reasons to slow down.
- Verify. Find the organization’s number or website independently—for example, in a bank app, on a card or statement, or by typing a known address. If unsure, ask a trusted person to check with you.
- Report. Report the message through the phone’s messaging app or forward it to 7726 (SPAM). If it appears to be fraud, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
The FTC’s short consumer advice is “Slow down and check it out.” Its guidance also says not to give money or information to anyone who contacts you unexpectedly. The FTC’s examples of unexpected text scams include fake bank fraud alerts, package delivery problems, unpaid toll notices, phony job offers, and “wrong number” conversations.
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Scam stories change, so focus on the cues that work across different stories: unexpected contact, pressure to act, and instructions to pay or disclose information. A familiar company name, display name, logo, or convincing explanation does not prove a message is genuine. Check using contact information you already know is real—not details supplied in the text.
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- A supposed bank alert: Instead of tapping a “fraud” link, open the bank’s official app or call the number on the card.
- A delivery or toll notice: Don’t pay through a surprise link. Check the delivery or account through the carrier’s or agency’s independently located official channel.
- A demand to move or send money: Requests for gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency, payment apps, cash, or a courier pickup are strong scam indicators. A demand to move money to “protect” it is not a safe verification step.
The FTC’s March 2025 overview of common signs of a scam describes unexpected contact, pressure, and specific payment instructions as recurring tactics. That does not mean every unexpected text is fraudulent; it means the sender should not control how your parent verifies it.
How can you teach the habit without making it feel like a lecture?
Offer to agree on the steps together, rather than framing the conversation as a test your parent might fail. You could say: “Scam messages are designed to catch anyone off guard. If one feels urgent, let’s check it together before you respond.” Ask whom they would like to call when a text feels worrying, and save that person’s number where it is easy to find.
Make a compact checklist together and put it by the phone if your parent finds that useful:
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- Stop: don’t reply or tap.
- Check: was I expecting this?
- Verify: use a number or website I find myself.
- Report: use the app, 7726, or the FTC.
The FTC’s 2023 guidance for helping older adults spot fraud recommends clear, readable materials: larger simple type, high contrast, white space, and bullet points. It also recommends positive, empowering language and trusted community messengers where possible. Keep the instructions visible and brief, and practice with one familiar example rather than trying to memorize every possible scam.
The FTC’s 2023 review of scam-prevention messaging notes that warnings can be forgotten and urgency can disrupt critical thinking. It recommends memorable, actionable reminders, while also noting that relatively little research directly tests these messages. Treat the checklist as practical guidance—not a guarantee that one script will prevent every scam.
How do you report a suspicious text or respond if someone acted on it?
If the text is unwanted but no information or money was shared
Use the report-junk or report-spam option in the messaging app, if available, or forward the message to 7726 (SPAM). You can also report suspected fraud at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The FTC says forwarding helps wireless providers identify and block similar messages. The steps and filtering options available can vary by phone and provider.
Phones may have tools to filter or block messages, and wireless providers may offer additional options. Check what is already available on your parent’s device or plan and whether it is easy for them to use; no filter should be treated as a guarantee or a reason to click a suspicious link. The FTC describes these options in its advice on dealing with spam texts, emails, and junk mail.
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If money was sent, contact the company or financial institution used to send it immediately and ask whether the transaction can be stopped or recovered. Then report the fraud to the FTC. If personal information was disclosed, the FTC’s spam-text guidance directs consumers to IdentityTheft.gov for tailored identity-theft steps.
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The stakes can be serious, but a statistic should not be mistaken for an individual’s odds of being targeted. The FTC reported that losses over $100,000 to business and government impersonators among adults age 60 and older increased nearly sevenfold from 2020 to 2024. That is a comparison of reported losses, not a count of scam texts or a measure of any one person’s likelihood of being scammed. The FTC’s August 2025 account of impersonation scams targeting older adults provides further context.
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