“I got a call from the ‘bank’ and I’m not sure it was real.”
You’ll learn the one check that settles it, and the words to end the call without feeling rude.
Book 3 · The Stay Safe Series · Coming soon
Stay Safe From Scams
Protecting You and Your Savings for a Lifetime of Independence
Scams arrive by phone, by text, by mail, online, and at the front door. This book shows you the pattern almost all of them share, the three habits that help you handle any of them, and exactly what to do in the first hour if money has already moved. Written in plain English, with every fact sourced.
In active development. Join the list and we’ll send one email the day it’s ready.
Is this book for you?
It probably is if one of these sounds familiar.
“A stranger at the door said my roof needed urgent work.”
Doorstep cons, from storm-chasing roofers to fake utility inspectors, get their own chapter.
“It’s already happened to someone I love, and they’re ashamed to talk about it.”
The book treats recovery as seriously as spotting scams: what to do first, who to call, and how to help without judgment.
Why this book
In 2025, Americans aged 60 and older reported losing $7.7 billion to fraud, more than any other age group, according to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. That figure covers phone scams, online scams, and the old-fashioned con artists who turn up at the door.
Most of those scams use the same handful of moves: the fake Social Security caller, the romance scam, the roofer who “noticed some damage” while driving past, the sweepstakes letter, and now a cloned voice on the phone that sounds exactly like a grandchild. This book shows you how each one works, so the pattern becomes easy to spot.
It also takes recovery seriously. If you or someone you love has already been caught, the book covers what to do next, who to call, and how to come back from it without shame getting in the way.
Three habits the book is built on
Every chapter comes back to the same three words. They work on the phone, at the door, and in your inbox.
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Stop.
Pressure is the tell. Anyone who needs an answer right now, or wants a gift card or wire transfer, gets a pause.
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Verify.
Hang up, look up the real number yourself, and call back. Never use the number the caller gave you.
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Decide in your own time.
Real organizations will wait. Scammers can’t afford to.
The book turns each habit into scripts, checklists, and a family plan you can practice before you need it.
What you’ll learn
- Recognize the six-stage pattern nearly every scam follows, so you can spot trouble in the first thirty seconds
- See through fake Social Security, IRS, and Medicare callers before you say a word
- Know what a cloned voice can sound like, and how a family password helps you check
- Spot doorstep con artists, from storm-chasing roofers to fake utility inspectors
- Understand exactly why gift cards and wire transfers are the payment methods to refuse
- Freeze your credit and lock down your identity in the right order, the first time
- Know who to call in the first hour if money has already moved
- Help a parent or spouse recover, without shame getting in the way
Where this book names a product or app, it’s an example of a feature, not a recommendation. We don’t sell devices or take payment to feature them.
What you’ll walk away with
You’ll have
- A single check you can run on any call, text, or stranger at the door, in under a minute
- A calm, rehearsed family plan instead of panic if something goes wrong
- A first-hour plan for what to do if money has already moved
Why it matters
- Answer the phone with confidence instead of dread
- Keep the savings you’ve built over a lifetime where they belong
- If it happens anyway, recover faster and with less shame
Coming in every format
Planned launch pricing, the same as every book in the Stay Safe Series. Nothing is on sale yet. Join the list below and you’ll have first access.
- eBook $9.99
- Audiobook $14.99
- Paperback $19.99
- Multi-Media Pack $24.99
Prices may change before launch. A companion checklist is planned for every format.
Coming soon
Be the first to know
Stay Safe From Scams is in active development. Leave your email and we’ll let you know the moment it’s ready, in every format, at launch pricing. You’ll also get our free one-page Fall-Risk Checklist today.
What you get
- One email the day Stay Safe From Scams is ready
- The free one-page Fall-Risk Checklist today
- No cost, and no need to buy anything
No spam. One email when the book launches, plus the checklist and occasional series news. Unsubscribe any time. See our Privacy Policy.
Every fact, checked and sourced
Every statistic and every “this works” statement in this book is checked against a credible, named source: government health and safety agencies, peer-reviewed research, and recognized aging organizations. The book ends with a Fact References chapter that lists the full citation for every figure. You don’t have to take our word for it. You can look it up. If we get something wrong, we fix it and say so.
Selected citations from this book
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (2026). 2025 Internet Crime Report. Complainants aged 60+: 201,266 complaints, $7.748 billion in losses. ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2025_IC3Report.pdf
- Federal Trade Commission (2025). Protecting Older Consumers 2024–2025: A Report of the Federal Trade Commission. ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/P144400-OlderAdultsReportDec2025.pdf
- AARP (2026). FBI Report: Internet Crime Losses Hit $20.9 Billion. aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/fbi-ftc-report-2025-losses
The book’s Fact References chapter lists every source in full.
Questions people ask
When will Stay Safe From Scams launch?
It’s in active development now. We don’t announce dates until the book is final. Join the list above and you’ll hear the moment it’s live.
Does this book only cover online scams?
No. It covers phone calls, texts, letters, email, and people at the door. Online-specific threats, such as hacked accounts and malware, are the subject of Book 4, Stay Safe Online. Where a scam crosses both, such as romance and tech-support scams, both books cover it fully.
What if I or someone I love has already been scammed?
The book has a chapter for exactly that: what to do in the first hour, who to report to, how to protect accounts and credit, and how to support someone without shame getting in the way.
Will it be available in large print?
The eBook lets you set any text size you like, and the audiobook needs no reading at all. We’ll say on this page if a large-print paperback is planned.
Is the book written for the US?
Yes. The agencies, phone numbers, and examples are US-based. The habits work anywhere.
This book shares general safety information. It isn’t medical, legal, or financial advice. For advice about your own situation, talk with a qualified professional.
While you wait
Two books in the series are ready now, and every book stands on its own.
-
Stay Safe in Any Emergency
Medical alerts, fall detection, and phone SOS settings, explained plainly.
Start with Book 1 -
Stay Safe at Home
A room-by-room guide to common hazards, with practical fixes.
Go to Book 2 -
Free Fall-Risk Checklist
One page, about a cup of tea’s worth of time, and a good way to start a conversation.
Get the Free Checklist