Recognizing scams and pressure
Pause before paying, sharing information, or following a surprise link.
Skill 5.5 · About 25 minutes to begin
Scammers try to make you act before you think. Being careful means checking independently, even when a message looks familiar or promises an easy reward.
Before you begin
Bring along
- Fictional budget or sample documents
- Calculator
- Notebook
Support & boundaries
Use fictional examples. Keep private financial records out of group activities and review real accounts or employment decisions with a trusted adult.
01 / Learn
Understand the skill
- Pressure, secrecy, unexpected prizes, and unusual payment demands are warning signs.
- A familiar name or logo does not prove a message is genuine.
- If you sent money or information, tell a trusted adult promptly; shame makes it harder to get help.
02 / Practice
Try it, step by step
- 1
Read a fictional suspicious message and underline what it asks you to do.
- 2
Pause. Do not use the message's link or phone number to verify itself.
- 3
Contact the organization or person using a known, independently found channel.
- 4
Talk with a trusted adult before paying or sharing sensitive information.
- 5
If something was sent, contact the payment provider promptly through verified channels and follow official reporting guidance.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Pay quickly to avoid the threatened consequence.
- Treating a successful practice attempt as permission to skip the supervision or checks for a real task.
Your call
A message says to pay urgently and tell nobody. What next?
03 / Demonstrate
Show what you can do
Use these prompts with a mentor. This practice checklist resets when you leave; record your overall stage below in the signed-in manual.
0 of 3 reviewed together
Mentor notes & sources
Help someone learn
- Use invented examples and never ask youth to visit a live suspicious link.
- Praise early reporting, including when someone already made a mistake.
Start together, then let the learner take responsibility at an appropriate level. Offer a shorter task, a different role, or more practice time when useful. Review the demonstration criteria together; advanced practice never removes supervision requirements.
Reference shelf
Original program lessons informed by these references. Equipment manuals, current local rules, and qualified instruction govern technical practice.
- FTC: how to avoid a scam ↗
Recognizing pressure and verifying requests
- CFPB: youth financial capability ↗
Planning, money habits and decision-making
Edition updated 2026-09-28. Program learning material; not a professional qualification.
04 / Apply · In Action
Spot the pressure
Review three fictional messages: an urgent payment, an unexpected prize, and a normal reminder. Decide how to verify each.
What success looks like
Point out the request, warning signs, and an independent verification channel.
Talk it through
What feeling was the suspicious message trying to trigger?
05 / Teach · Take it further
Create a fictional example and teach a partner how to check it safely.