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Lesson
Lesson 5. Borrowed authority: the officer, the agency, the boss
Spot the chain “manager → officer → tell no one,” and know that real agencies don't run cases by phone or forbid you to talk things over with your family.
The authority ladder
The boss, the officer, and the email “from the government”
Another common scam runs not on fear for your money but on borrowed authority.
Your “manager” writes in a messaging app: there's an audit at the company, a law enforcement officer will contact you today, answer his questions, don't tell your coworkers. The account is new, with no earlier messages. An hour later, an “investigator” calls: he keeps you on the line, asks you not to tell your family, then asks you to withdraw your savings or transfer them.
These aren't two stories but one. The “manager” is there only to make you believe the next call. And the whole chain is checked with one move: call your manager at the number you already have, or go see them in person.
What's true about real agencies. Nobody runs a criminal case by phone or sends a badge photo in a messaging app. Login.gov never asks for your password or a code. Social Security's services are free, and it never demands immediate payment. Your tax bills, fines, and applications show in your online account — which you open yourself, from the app or a bookmark, not from a link in an email.
And most important: no government procedure forbids you to talk it over with your family.
Lesson notes
The boss, the officer, and the email “from the government”
Another common scam runs not on fear for your money but on borrowed authority.
Your “manager” writes in a messaging app: there's an audit at the company, a law enforcement officer will contact you today, answer his questions, don't tell your coworkers. The account is new, with no earlier messages. An hour later, an “investigator” calls: he keeps you on the line, asks you not to tell your family, then asks you to withdraw your savings or transfer them.
These aren't two stories but one. The “manager” is there only to make you believe the next call. And the whole chain is checked with one move: call your manager at the number you already have, or go see them in person.
What's true about real agencies. Nobody runs a criminal case by phone or sends a badge photo in a messaging app. Login.gov never asks for your password or a code. Social Security's services are free, and it never demands immediate payment. Your tax bills, fines, and applications show in your online account — which you open yourself, from the app or a bookmark, not from a link in an email.
And most important: no government procedure forbids you to talk it over with your family.