Scam texts: three signs to slow down
Checked
This lesson goes with our article 3 signs a text message is a scam.
Talk about it at home: jump to the Table Talks
Teach it this week
Scam texts: three signs to slow down
Big idea: Scam texts change their stories, but three signs repeat: they rush or threaten you, they send a link you didn't expect, and they ask for a code or for payment like gift cards. When you see one, don't tap. Check on your own.
Background for parents and grandparents: FTC: How to Recognize and Report Spam Text Messages
Table Talks (10 minutes)
- Start (2 min): Watch the video together, or read aloud a made-up text: "FINAL NOTICE: Your account will be locked today. Act now!" Ask your family: "What would you do first?"
- Try it (5 to 7 min): Kids and grown-ups pair up, read five made-up texts and mark each sign you spot: rush, unexpected link, code or payment request. Then decide where you would check instead: the official app, a typed web address, or a number from a card.
- Wrap-up (1 min): Everyone says the three signs and the number you forward scam texts to.
Talk it over
- Have any of us gotten a text that felt urgent? What did it want?
- Why would a scammer want you to hurry?
- Where would we check if a text said our account was locked?
- Who should never get a login code?
Screens off: On paper, write a made-up scam text together, then circle each of the three signs in a different color.
Tonight's action: Each person with a phone learns how to report junk in their messaging app and how to forward a text to 7726.
Use only made-up examples, never a real account. Free to use; please keep the source credit.
Education only, not financial, legal or tax advice. Not a registered investment adviser.
Sources
Primary sources
- FTC: How to Recognize and Report Spam Text Messages, FTC, no publish date shown, date checked: Oct 23, 2026
- FTC: What's a verification code and why would someone ask me for it?, FTC, March 7, 2024, date checked: Oct 23, 2026
- FTC: Avoiding and Reporting Gift Card Scams, FTC, no publish date shown, date checked: Oct 23, 2026
- FCC: Stop Unwanted Robocalls and Texts, FCC, last updated/reviewed February 27, 2026, date checked: Oct 23, 2026