Think someone’s trying to scam you? Police say this simple question could stop them cold

Identity theft is one of the most common tactics scammers use to deceive their victims. Posing as a family member or friend in distress, fraudsters exploit people’s goodwill to demand money for an alleged emergency.

In the con, the scammers typically start with a vague, friendly message that feels personal—but isn’t. In most cases, the fraud is quickly recognizable, because the victim realises something is wrong.

But many users still fall for it, confusing the scammer with a distant acquaintance or relative. The scammers may use clever tactics to explain why the number is not in the victim’s contacts. Once a conversations is started, the scammer usually claims they’re in urgent need of money and ask for help.

How to avoid the scam

These scams are taking place everywhere people use messaging services, and the Spanish National Police have taken action, explaining a way to avoid being scammed, with one simple question.

“If someone asks for money in such an impersonal way, that alone should raise every red flag,” police warn.

To confirm whether you’re really speaking to someone you know—or a cybercriminal—the police recommend one simple trick. If you get a message from a suspicious contact and think it might be a scam, ask them: “Where did we meet?”

“A basic security question like that can save you from falling for this kind of scam,” an officer explains in the video.

It may seem like an odd thing to ask, but that one question could be the difference between staying safe and losing your money. After all, only a real friend or relative would know the answer.

Messaging scams in the U.S.

Scams like these are increasingly common across text messages, iMessage, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram DMs. Scammers exploit the speed and familiarity of these platforms to impersonate someone the victim knows and urgently request money.

Authorities emphasize that this simple tactic—asking a personal question only a real friend or relative could answer—can be effective against similar scams worldwide, regardless of the messaging app being used.

To stay safe, it’s important to educate both younger and older family members about how to use messaging apps responsibly and how to spot suspicious messages. If you suspect a scam, gather any evidence and report it to your local police or the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) as soon as possible.

Here’s the original message from the Spanish police, in Spanish:

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