Phone calls, texts and emails claiming an urgent family emergency or bank problem can make it hard to think clearly. A checklist on your fridge gives you a simple next step: pause, hang up and check the story using a number you already trust.
How to Print Your One-Page Checklist
Use your browser’s Print command (Ctrl+P on Windows or Command+P on Mac). In current browsers, this page’s print layout shows just the bordered checklist below. Choose A4 or US Letter, portrait, and check the preview. Turn off browser headers and footers; reduce the scale slightly if your printer spills onto a second page. On a phone, look for Print in the browser’s Share menu. If your browser does not show the checklist alone, select and print the checklist where that option is available.
STOP & CHECK: Your Scam Prevention Fridge Sheet
A frightening call or urgent message? Pause before you pay.
- STOP. Do not send money, click links or install software because a caller tells you to. Urgency and secrecy are warning signs.
- HANG UP. Caller ID and a familiar voice can be faked. Do not use a number or link supplied in the suspicious message.
- CALL BACK SAFELY. For your bank, use the number on your card or statement. For family, call their saved number. If they do not answer, contact another trusted person. If possible, use a different phone after a suspicious landline call.
- CHECK THE STORY. Ask for your agreed family safe word, but still make the independent callback. Knowing the word is not permission to send money.
Keep these rules handy
Do not reveal passwords, PINs or login/security codes to an unexpected caller. Do not move savings to a so-called “safe account”. Demands for gift cards or cryptocurrency to solve an emergency are warning signs. Do not give an unexpected caller remote access to your phone or computer.
Our trusted contacts
Family contact: __________________ Phone: __________________
Backup contact: _________________ Phone: __________________
Bank fraud team: _________________________________________
Keep the safe word private. Do not write it on this sheet.
Already paid or shared a code? Contact your bank or payment provider immediately using a trusted number. Ask whether the payment can be stopped or reversed.
TheTechHelper.com · Checked 7 November 2026
Set Up a Family Safe Word
Agree on an unusual word or short phrase with the people you would turn to in an emergency. Choose something you can remember that is not obvious from social media, and agree it privately. Keep it separate from passwords and banking codes.
A safe word is an extra check, not a guarantee. It could be overheard or shared. Even when someone knows it, hang up and call the person’s usual number before sending money. If they cannot answer, try another trusted relative or friend. Do not let a demand for secrecy stop you checking.
Watch for These Four Requests
- “Read me the code.” Do not give an unexpected caller a login or security code. Read the message’s warning and keep the code private. If you need help, contact the organisation yourself using a trusted number.
- “Move your money somewhere safe.” Do not transfer savings to an account provided by someone claiming to protect you from fraud.
- “Pay this emergency bill with gift cards or crypto.” Stop and verify independently. These payment requests are common scam warning signs.
- “Let me control your device to fix a refund.” Do not install remote-access software or hand over control at an unexpected caller’s request.
If You Have Already Paid or Shared Information
Contact your bank or payment provider immediately through its official app or the number on your card or statement. Explain what happened and ask whether it can stop or reverse the payment. Recovery is not guaranteed. If you shared a password, change it from a device you trust, and change it on other accounts where you reused it. Tell the bank if you shared a security code or allowed remote access.
In the US, report scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. In the UK, see Ofcom’s advice on suspicious calls and messages and contact your bank first if money or account details are involved. If someone is in immediate danger, contact your local emergency services.
Do You Need a Paid Monitoring Service?
You do not need to buy anything to use this checklist. Identity monitoring can provide alerts about some exposed information, but it cannot prove that a caller is genuine or guarantee that every leak will be found. The independent callback remains the key habit.
Sources
Checked 7 November 2026 using the FBI’s family safe-word guidance, the FTC’s advice on voice-cloning scams, unexpected bank calls and what to do after a scam, plus Ofcom’s guidance linked above.