The scam attempts feel relentless.

Texts pretending to be your bank. Emails about unpaid tolls. Invoices for services you never used.

According to Pew Research, the majority of U.S. adults now report receiving scam texts, calls, or emails at least 1x week — and nearly 1/3 get them daily.

Thanks to AI, they're only getting harder to spot.

In today's email, I'm sharing the four scams I've seen hitting inboxes recently, plus a short list of habits that can keep you out of trouble.

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Before we dive in, did you catch this week's podcast? 👇

The Real Reason Wealthy Retirees Wake Up Anxious (And the 4 Pillars That Fix It) Even with $1M, $3M, or $5M+ saved, retirement anxiety can linger. This episode explains why “enough” often doesn’t feel like enough—and what actually drives retirement confidence. 🎙️ Listen now on ​Apple​, ​Spotify​, or ​YouTube​.

The 4 Scams Hitting Your Inbox This Year

The scams below look different on the surface, but they all rely on the same three ingredients:

A trusted-looking sender, a sense of urgency, and just enough detail to feel real.

Some try to scare you into acting, while others try to slip past you by seeming too small to matter.

But once you see the pattern, they get a lot easier to spot.

1. The Debt Collector Text Message

These text messages often look something like this:

Some versions mention a specific company. Others reference the federal government. Some even include a specific dollar amount to make the message feel more legitimate.

The goal is simple: scare you into calling the number or clicking the link to "settle" a debt that doesn't actually exist.

A message like this can feel unsettling, especially if it appears to come from a recognizable company.

But that’s the point.

The scam works by getting you to react quickly instead of verifying whether the claim is real.

2. The “Did You Attempt a Transaction?” Text

This one often looks like a standard fraud alert:

At first glance, this can feel helpful. After all, many legitimate financial institutions do send fraud alerts.

But in this version of the scam, replying “NO” triggers the next step.

You'll get a call from someone posing as your bank's fraud department.

They may sound professional, calm, and reassuring.

Then they ask for login credentials, account information, or a verification code. And just like that, they're in your account.

The most important thing to remember: a legitimate institution should not ask you to share your password, full Social Security number, or one-time verification code over the phone.

3. The “Unpaid Toll” Text Message

This one has become increasingly common:

Part of what makes this scam effective is the small dollar amount.

Most people wouldn’t think twice about paying $6.75 to make a problem go away. It feels too small to be a scam, which is exactly why it works.

But the link is typically designed to capture your payment information, personal details, or both.

And once that information is entered, the damage can extend far beyond the unpaid “toll.”

4. The Fake Invoice Email

These emails often look something like this:

Some appear to come from legitimate companies. Others may reference vague services or include official-looking logos.

In some cases, the company name might be familiar enough that you pause and think, "Is this something I forgot about?"

The goal is usually one of two things:

1. Either the attachment contains something malicious that can compromise your computer; or
2. The invoice is designed to trick you into paying for something that was never actually purchased.

For business owners or retirees managing household finances, this can be especially tricky.

The email may look routine, but that’s what the scammer is counting on.

How to Protect Yourself

Reputable institutions almost never use text or email for urgent requests. They tend to use formal mail or secure messaging inside your account.

With that in mind, here are four habits that protect you across nearly every scam:

• Slow down. Urgency is the scammer's biggest weapon. A 30-second pause is often all it takes to spot the manipulation.
• Never click links or call numbers from unsolicited messages. If you want to verify something, go directly to the company's official website and use the contact info there.
• Be extremely cautious with personal information. No legitimate institution will call to ask for your password, Social Security number, or a verification code.
• When in doubt, assume it's a scam. It's far easier to verify that something is real than to recover from fraud.

🎙️ Stay Wealthy Fraud Prevention Refresher

You can also listen (or re-listen) to my top episodes on financial scams and fraud.

After all, today’s scams are not designed to fool people who “don’t know better”—they’re designed to catch smart people in the wrong moment:

→ The 6-Digit Code That Can Drain Your Retirement Account (And How to Stop It)​

→ 8 Red Flags You’re About to Get Scammed​

→ How to Protect Yourself From Financial Scams​

→ 3 Financial Scams Retirement Savers Need to Watch Out For​

These can also be helpful episodes to share with a parent, spouse, adult child, or anyone else you want to help stay one step ahead.

Bottom Line

Scams aren't going away.

With AI, they're going to keep getting more convincing and more personal.

The good news: protecting yourself doesn't require deep technical expertise.

It just requires a habit of skepticism and a willingness to pause before you click, call, or reply.

After decades of building something worth protecting, you can't afford to lose it in 30 seconds to a text message.

When something feels off, trust that feeling, and verify before you act.

📚 What I've Been Reading

• How Not to Invest During Times of Uncertainty (Behavioural Investment)​
• The Melt-Up (A Wealth of Common Sense)​
• Why I Sometimes Tell Myself Average Returns Are a Mirage (Sam Ro)​
• When Wants Become Needs (The Root of All)​
• Your Next Dog May Live Longer (The Atlantic)​
• How AI Could Help Cure Pancreatic Cancer (Derek Thompson)​

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Thank you for reading!

Please reply to this email with comments, questions, and/or feedback.

Stay wealthy,

Taylor Schulte, CFP®