A call, text, email, pop-up, or DM you didn't expect is steering you toward an action.
Inbound contact is the scammer’s home field. They picked the timing, the pretext, and the urgency. The fastest way to take the field back is to end the interaction and start a new one through a channel you choose.
This is the same idea as calling back through a number you found yourself, in a more general form. It applies to texts, emails, knocks on the door, and chat windows that open on their own.
A recorded or live call claiming you owe back taxes and a warrant is being issued unless you pay immediately, usually with gift cards or a wire.
After a grandchild-imposter call, a courier shows up at the house to pick up cash for bail.
A cloned account messages your real friends with a story about a grant they say you both received.
A delivery firm asks for two dollars to redirect a parcel. The two dollars is a foot in the door to your card.