Build a pause-and-verify habit
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The idea in everyday life
Create household rules, trusted checks, account alerts, response cards, and regular reviews that make scam resistance automatic.
A simple shared rule used every time beats trying to feel clever during a convincing emergency.
One step at a time.
Use the sample or information you have permission to use. Keep your work as you go. You can pause between steps.
- 1
Create a mandatory pause for unexpected money, secrecy, remote access, password, code, identity, investment, job, rental, or emergency requests.
- 2
Choose two trusted people and a separate way to check an urgent request. Plan a family verification phrase. Keep official account contact details available without internet access.
- 3
Run a quarterly review of account security, new scam patterns, credit or transaction alerts, exposed information, and the response card.
See how it works.
Morgan and a parent agree that any urgent money request pauses until a call to a known number and the family phrase is confirmed.
Did you cover these?
- Your work includes a one-page pause-and-verify card, trusted-contact agreement, family verification phrase plan, and quarterly review schedule.
- Check this common mistake: Making the plan too complicated to use quickly or treating embarrassment as a reason not to call a trusted person.
- You can use the card in under two minutes and no unexpected high-risk request proceeds without an independent check.
What to finish
A one-page pause-and-verify card, trusted-contact agreement, family verification phrase plan, and quarterly review schedule.
Watch for this
Making the plan too complicated to use quickly or treating embarrassment as a reason not to call a trusted person.
How can I tell I understand it?
You can use the card in under two minutes and no unexpected high-risk request proceeds without an independent check.
Quick knowledge check
Answer all 3 questions. Get at least 2 right and the lesson completes automatically.
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Answer all 3 questions above and get at least 2 right. You can review the explanations and try again.
Go to the knowledge checkOptional course overview video · same video as Lesson 1
My Action Plan to Avoid Scams
From Federal Trade Commission. Watch here or open it on YouTube .
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