Principle

Verify any money request through a second channel, even from people you know

Someone you know (or appears to be someone you know) asks for money, gift cards, wire transfers, or crypto.

Account takeovers, cloned profiles, and now voice-cloning make “it’s really me” impossible to confirm from the message itself. The grandchild-in-jail call. The boss who needs gift cards for client thank-yous. The friend whose Facebook is locked and needs a code sent to your phone.

Call the person on a number you already have. Text them on a different app. Ask something only they would know. Real loved ones will not be hurt by the check. Scammers cannot survive it.

Scams this applies to

Phone
Your-grandchild-is-in-jail variant: the bail courier.
After a grandchild-imposter call, a courier shows up at the house to pick up cash for bail.
Phone
A caller claiming to be your grandchild in jail.
Cloned voice, hurried tone, asks for bail money on gift cards. The script is the same on every call.
Social
A friend request from someone who is already your friend.
A cloned account messages your real friends with a story about a grant they say you both received.