It starts with a pop-up that freezes your screen: your computer has been hacked, call this number now. The voice that answers sounds calm, official, and very worried about your savings.

Earlier this month, New York's attorney general warned that this script is emptying retirement accounts. The NYPD alone has investigated more than 100 cases, with losses topping $100 million. After the pop-up, a fake "federal agent" calls, claims your accounts are compromised, and walks you through withdrawing your savings and buying gold bars from a real dealer. Then a courier shows up to collect the gold "for safekeeping." You are told to keep it all secret, even from your bank and your family. The gold, and the courier, are never seen again.

The rule: No real agency will ever tell you to buy gold, hand valuables to a courier, or keep secrets from your bank. Hang up and call your bank using the number on your statement.

Source: NY Attorney General: Gold bar scam targeting seniors

A message says you are owed a refund. Sometimes that is true. This month it actually is, for more than 640,000 people.

On August 12 the FTC began sending $23.8 million to Grubhub drivers and diners after the company allegedly misled drivers about pay, blocked customers from their own accounts, and listed restaurants without permission. Real payments arrive as mailed checks (cash within 90 days) or PayPal payments (redeem within 30 days), sent by the FTC's refund administrator, Analytics Consulting. Scammers love to ride announcements like this with fake "refund" messages of their own. The difference is simple: the FTC never asks you to pay a fee, share your bank login, or "verify" a card number to receive money.

The rule: A real refund never costs money. Questions about this one go to 1-888-446-4992, and every current FTC refund is listed at ftc.gov/refunds.

Source: FTC Sends More Than $23.8 Million to Drivers and Diners Harmed by Grubhub

Ever seen an ad so on-point you swore your phone was eavesdropping? One marketing company claimed that was exactly what it sold.

On August 27 the FTC finalized orders against Cox Media Group and two smaller firms, which together will pay $930,000 over claims they used "active listening" software to pick up conversations through smart devices and target ads based on what people said. The FTC says the service was fake: no such listening happened, and the claim that consumers had opted in was false too. Had it been real, it would have been illegal. The takeaway for the rest of us: those eerily accurate ads come from your searches, clicks, and purchases, which really are tracked constantly.

The rule: Your microphone probably isn't the problem, your data trail is. Take five minutes this week to review app permissions and turn off personalized ads in your phone's privacy settings.

Source: FTC Finalizes Orders with Cox Media Group and Two Other Firms Over "Active Listening" Claims

A storm makes the news, and within hours the donation pleas hit your inbox and social feeds. Some are real. The worst ones are the fastest.

On August 27, with peak hurricane season here, the FTC warned that scammers spin up fake charities after every disaster, or impersonate real ones, and pocket money meant for victims. The tell is usually how they want you to pay: only by gift card, wire transfer, payment app, or cryptocurrency, methods that are nearly impossible to reverse. Rushed, emotional pleas from accounts you have never heard of are the other giveaway.

The rule: Never donate by gift card, wire, or crypto. Look the charity up yourself at charitywatch.org or give.org, go to its website directly, and pay by credit card. More at ftc.gov/charity.

Source: FTC: When donating, support those in need, not a scammer