Hiring a lawyer for legal action against a scammer is typically a bad idea: it’s expensive, time-consuming, and emotionally draining—with no guarantee of success. Legal fees can quickly pile up, and the chances of actually recovering your funds are slim, especially when scammers operate in ways that make them almost untouchable. Even worse, some victims end up falling for secondary scams from so-called recovery firms (often pretending to be a lawyer or “fund recovery firm”).

If you still want to hire a lawyer to sue the scammer, here is how to check if a potential lawyer is real, or just another scammer.

Being scammed is devastating.

It’s natural to feel angry, embarrassed, and determined to get your money back. Hiring a lawyer can feel like taking control of the situation, but is it really worth it?

The truth is, legal action against scammers is often expensive, time-consuming, and emotionally draining—with no guarantee of success. Legal fees can quickly pile up, and the chances of actually recovering your funds are slim, especially when scammers operate in ways that make them almost untouchable.

Even worse, some victims end up falling for secondary scams from so-called recovery firms (often pretending to be a lawyer or “fund recovery firm”).

If you’re considering legal action after falling victim to a scam, it’s important to know the risks, costs, and alternatives that might save you time, money, and stress.

The internet is full of wonderful information, helpful tools, and ways to connect with others. But it also has its dangers. Visiting an unsafe website could lead to problems like:

• Malware: Harmful software that can damage your computer.

• Ransomware: A type of malware that locks your files until you pay money.

• Identity Theft: When someone steals your personal information and pretends to be you.

The good news? You can protect yourself by learning what to look out for.

Selling items online can be a fantastic way to declutter your home and earn a little extra cash. But lurking in the shadows of popular platforms like Facebook Marketplace are scammers waiting to take advantage of unsuspecting sellers.

Have you ever sold something online, only to find that the buyer seems a little too eager? For example, you’ve just listed an item on Facebook Marketplace, and within minutes, someone offers to pay full price—no questions asked. It feels too good to be true, doesn’t it? That’s because it probably is.

You’re setting into your new home and your mailbox starts overflowing with letters that look urgent. Some claim you need to act fast to lower your mortgage payment, others offer deals too good to be true, and a few might even look like they’re from the government.

It’s overwhelming!

While most of these are junk mail (which are harmless, albeit annoying), some are scams crafted to take advantage of homeowners.

Scammers are always evolving their tactics, but the core of their schemes remains the same: to exploit trust and confusion. New homeowners are targeted, by scams like fake mortgage insurance, deed fraud, and phishing.

Ever received a random text like “Are you alive?” or “Hi, how are you?” These messages test if your number is active. Replying confirms this, leading to a flood of scam texts for months—annoying and risky.

These texts can also kick off phishing schemes (tricking you into sharing personal info) or attempts to infect your device with malware (harmful software). Worse, scammers may gain your trust through friendly chats, eventually pushing fake cryptocurrency “investments.” They show fake “profits” to lure you into investing more before disappearing with your money.

These scams play on kindness, curiosity, and loneliness. Protect yourself: even if it feels rude, don’t reply to unknown texts and block the sender.

Have you seen ads for Temu and wondered if it’s too good to be true?

The platform itself is not a scam, but shopping on Temu has risks, especially when it comes to data privacy, product quality, and scams. This article walks through the risks and how to shop safely if you choose to use Temu.

Scam phone calls. We’ve all had them and they’re on the rise.

The phone rings, and the screen says "Scam Likely" or an unfamiliar number. These calls can be annoying and even worse, dangerous.

The good news is, there are tools and tips to help you stop and block these scam calls. Regardless of your phone maker or carrier, the setup is simple and it’s something you can do for your phone, as well as an elderly loved ones phone (with their permission!) - so they stop accidentally picking up scam likely calls.

Imagine this: your phone rings. You answer, and the first thing you hear is the sound of someone crying on the other end. Then a voice demands money, often immediately.

As a nonprofit who works to help older adults stay safe online, we’ve seen how scammers are constantly adapting their tactics. One of the more alarming scams we’ve seen recently is the “crying phone call scams”.

We’ve all been there: a call from an unfamiliar number pops up on your phone, and you hesitate. Is it something important or just another scammer trying to trick you? How do you tell the difference between a legitimate call and a sneaky scam? In this blog post, we’ll break down the tricks scammers use and show you how to spot the red flags.