Start here
The free tool below runs entirely in this browser — no account, nothing stored or transmitted. Redact anything you would not want kept before you type it.
Open the companion tool →Why verification comes before reaction
The most effective version of this scam is an alert that is not from your bank at all: a text or call that imitates one, complete with a case number and a request to move funds to a 'safe account'. Reacting before verifying is how money moves.
A real alert survives verification through a channel you control — the app, the number on your card, or a branch. That test is quick, and it works the same way whether the alert is genuine or fake.
The protocol
- Do not act on the number or link in the alert. Open your bank's app directly, or call the number printed on your card or statement.
- Ask two questions: is there a real alert on my account, and what does the bank need from me? A bank never needs you to move money to a 'safe account' or read a code aloud.
- Secure the account: freeze the card in the app, change the password, turn on two-factor authentication, and check for unfamiliar payees or devices.
- Log everything: time, the number that contacted you, what was said, and the reference numbers from the bank. If you spoke to someone real, note their name and department.
- Follow up in writing and keep going until you have a case number and a written outcome. Financial complaints have deadlines, so the date of the first report matters.
What the tool does
Build an hour-by-hour lockdown plan for a flagged or locked account, covering both a real alert and a fake one. It runs in this browser; nothing is sent or stored.
Limit first: This is a response-planning aid, not financial or legal advice, and it cannot verify whether an alert is real. Your bank's own channel is the only source that settles that.
Open the companion tool →One human next step
If money moved, call the bank immediately — same-day reporting materially changes the outcome — then report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and the FBI at ic3.gov, and file a complaint with the CFPB if the bank's response is unsatisfactory.
Research log and safety checks
AI-assist path: not used for a verdict. The plan is a fixed sequence over channels the reader controls; the value is in the order of the steps, which the reader has to be able to read under pressure. §6.10: not a frontier-pace topic.
§0.5 protection result: category is financial-agent-exposure; crisis-adjacent: no; fear/urgency/scarcity toolkit used: no. The protective function is free and the paid feature is convenience only.