Session 6 — Staying Safe & Sharp

You have learned to ask, to write, and to point your camera at the world. This last session is about something just as important: staying safe while you do it, and keeping your bright mind bright.

What you’ll learn today

The same tools that help us can help dishonest people too. Today you’ll learn the small handful of tricks scammers use now — including one that can copy a loved one’s voice — and the calm, simple habits that keep you a step ahead.

None of this is meant to scare you. Knowing it makes you the hard-to-fool one in the family.

The one rule that stops almost every scam

Here it is, and it’s simple: when something feels urgent, pause. A real bank, a real agency, and even a real family emergency can all wait two minutes while you hang up and call back a number you already trust.

Scammers do the opposite. They rush you. “Act now.” “Don’t tell anyone.” “Stay on the line.” That pressure is the warning sign.

Let me show you the three tricks that are common today.

The panicked phone call. You get a call, and it sounds exactly like your grandson. He’s upset, he’s in trouble, he needs money right away. Here is the hard new truth: these tools can now copy a voice from just a few seconds of video. The voice may be fake even when it sounds perfect.

What to do: hang up. Then call your grandson — or his parents — on the number you already have. If he answers his own phone, safe and a little puzzled, you’ll know.

The message that looks official. An email or text from “your bank,” “Apple,” or “the government.” It has the right logo and tidy writing (these tools write clean scam messages now too). It wants you to tap a link or “confirm” your details.

What to do: don’t tap. Open the app or website the way you normally do, or call the number on the back of your card. Let the real company tell you if anything is truly wrong.

The request for a code, a gift card, or a number. Someone asks for your password, your bank or card number, your Social Security number, or a verification code that was just texted to you.

What to do: never share these — not by phone, not by text, not to any app. A real bank or agency or Apple will never call and ask you to pay with gift cards or read them a code. That request, all by itself, means it’s a scam.

Practice right here

Just below this page is a gentle panel called Spot the Scam. It shows you one message or call at a time. You decide: does this look safe, or does it look like a scam? Then it reveals the answer, points out the tell-tale sign, and tells you exactly what to do.

There’s no score and no one watching. Getting one “wrong” is the best kind of practice — it’s how the warning signs stick. Tap through all of them, and you’ll start spotting the tricks a mile off.

Now try it in real life

No app needed for this one. Just two small things that protect your whole family:

1. Pick a family code word. Choose one simple word only your family knows — the name of a first pet, a street you grew up on. Tell your children and grandchildren: if anyone ever calls in an emergency asking for money, they have to say the code word first. No word, no money.
2. Save the safety card. Open the short safety card in Appendix B. It lists these warning signs on a single page. Keep it near your phone, or ask a family member to help you save it — so it’s there on the day you need it.

That’s the whole task. Ten quiet minutes today can save a very bad afternoon later.

A few friendly tips

• Slow is safe. No honest person is ever hurt by you saying, “Let me call you right back.” Hang up and dial the number you know.
• When in doubt, phone a person. Call a family member or your bank before you send anything. A second set of eyes catches almost everything.
• Keep your mind in the game. Use your helper for fun, too — ask a trivia question, learn a new word, plan next spring’s garden, look up an old song. Curiosity is the best exercise there is, and staying curious is exactly what keeps you sharp.

You did it

Look at what you’ve done in six short sessions. You met a patient helper, made confusing letters plain, wrote warm notes, asked a pocket expert, turned your camera into a guide — and now you can spot the tricks that fool so many others. You are not behind. You are ahead.

Be careful, but never afraid: for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7, ESV). Carry that with you.

Up next: This is the last page — and, really, the start of the fun part. You already have everything you need. Keep that safety card close, stay curious, and use your new helper a little every day. I’m proud of you, and I can’t wait to hear what you ask it first. — Coach