Financial Scams are EvolvingHere's How to Stay One Step Ahead

1/14/2026 - By Sarah Horne, CFP

Financial scams have become increasingly sophisticated, and fraudsters often appear polished, credible, and well-informed. Saltmarsh Financial Advisors' top priority is helping you protect your financial security. Here are the most important warning signs to watch for and what to do if you suspect fraudulent activity.

How Today's Scams Actually Work

Fraudsters often:

  • Use personal information about you they’ve already gathered to sound legitimate.
  • Use official-sounding (but confusing) abbreviations or titles to intimidate.
  • Tell you to keep the situation secret or warn you not to contact anyone.
  • Create emotional pressure, both positive (“You’ve won a prize!”) or negative (“Your family member is in trouble!”).
  • Push for fast action involving money, sensitive information, or account access. However, not every fraud attempt urges you to act quickly. In many cases, fraudsters build relationships over days, weeks, or months to build trust with victims.

Important: No legitimate financial institution or advisory firm will ever ask for your login credentials, security answers, or multi-factor authentication codes. 

Where Scams Show Up & What to Watch for

Phone Calls

  • High-pressure tactics or threats (“Your account will be shut down,” “You could face legal action”).
  • Claiming to represent law enforcement or other entities to intimidate you.
  • Requests for verification codes or login details.
  • Caller ID looks real, but something feels off; numbers can be spoofed.
  • Instructions to keep the call confidential.

Protect yourself: Hang up and call your financial institution using a verified number.

Text Messages

  • Alerts claiming your account is locked, notifying you of a suspicious transaction, or a transaction needs approval.
  • Links asking you to log in or verify identity.
  • Unusual spelling or urgent wording.

Protect yourself: Do not click links or reply. Instead, check your account directly through the official website or app.

Emails

  • Sender address looks almost but not exactly correct.
  • Unexpected attachments or links.
  • Requests for money movement, personal information, or verification codes.

Protect yourself: Hover over links to check their true destination. When in doubt, call Saltmarsh Financial Advisors directly.

Steps to Protect Yourself After a Scam Attempt

  • Stop responding immediately.
  • Do not provide any additional information.
  • Contact our office right away—we can help secure your accounts.
  • Change any affected passwords.
  • Report the attempt at reportfraud.ftc.gov.

Fraud Can Happen to Anyone

If you’ve ever responded to a suspicious message or shared information before realizing something was wrong, you are not alone. Fraudsters are highly skilled, well preparedwell-prepared, and constantly refining their tactics. They succeed not because victims are careless, but because their methods are designed to exploit human emotions: urgency, fear, trust, and even kindness. There is no shame in being targeted or misled. What matters most is speaking up quickly, and we are here to support you. If something doesn’t feel right, or even if you’re just unsure, please contact Saltmarsh Financial Advisors right away.

 

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