Spot the Scam: Don’t Let AI Drain Your Cash
- Marshall Pastore
- Oct 1, 2025
- 2 min read
FinStrike helps teens build real-world money skills through a four-year financial literacy curriculum, a Smart Tutor that helps students around the clock, and extensive free resources for parents and students.
Scammers are not wearing hoodies in dark basements. They are on your phone, in your DMs, and using AI to sound like people you trust. Your best defense is not paranoia. It is a checklist and a rule: pause before you pay.
AI Voice Clones: The “Emergency” Call
Here is the play: You get a call that sounds exactly like your mom, your friend, or your coach. They say there is an emergency and they need money right now. Your brain freaks out and you skip every safety step you know.
Do this instead:
Hang up. Call the person back using a number you already have saved.
Use a family code word that only you know.
Never send gift cards, crypto, or wire transfers for “emergencies.” Real organizations do not ask for those.
If it is legit, they will answer on the real number. If not, you just saved yourself.
Marketplace Traps: “Too Good to Be True”
Selling sneakers, concert tickets, or electronics? Scammers love overpayment and off-platform moves.
Rules that keep your money safe:
Meet local, in daylight, with a friend. Public place, camera coverage.
No “I paid extra, refund me the difference.” Classic fake-payment scam.
Scan the buyer’s profile. New account, no history, or weird urgency means you run.
On tickets and electronics, verify live. For tickets, screen-share inside the official app and transfer ownership on the spot.
Payment Apps: Treat It Like Cash
Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, Apple Cash. Fast is good. Fast is also final.
Lock it down:
Privacy: Set your history to private, turn on alerts, require Face ID or a PIN to send.
Verify: Double-check the username letter by letter, plus the profile photo. Send a $1 test for new contacts.
No links: Never tap payment links from DMs or texts. Open the app yourself and initiate there.
Weekly cap: Set a limit you cannot blow past without taking a breath.
If something smells off, it is likely off. Close the app. Call a parent or friend. Waiting five minutes never hurts.
Your 10-Second Checklist Before You Send
Do I know this person, or did they just message me?
Did I confirm on a second channel I trust?
Am I on the official app, not a link?
Did I check the handle carefully?
Would I be embarrassed explaining this payment to someone I trust?
If any answer is shaky, stop. Legitimate transactions can survive a pause.
The Flex
Staying safe is important. It is how you keep your money, your account, and your confidence. Make a code word, lock your apps, and refuse off-platform payments. You are not paranoid. You are a pro. AI scam.
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