Knowledge is the best defense against scams, and family gatherings at Thanksgiving and Christmas provide ideal opportunities to talk about prevention measures.

“It’s critical for people to protect themselves and their loved ones by recognizing the red flags,” said Kristen Setera, spokeswoman for FBI Boston. “The upcoming holiday season is a great time to take a beat and discuss frauds and scams with family and friends.”

When arming against potential scams, whether by phone, text, email or other means, it’s important to resist pressure to act quickly, Setera said.

“Pause for a moment and assess the situation,” she said.

Be wary of answering phone calls from unfamiliar numbers and don’t send money to anybody you don’t personally know and trust, Setera said. Never give out personal information, such as Social Security numbers, over the phone or to unknown individuals.

With the rise of artificial intelligence and voice cloning, experts recommend families and friends have a pre-arranged “safe word” or phrase that verifies a person’s identity in a suspicious situation, such as impersonation scams when a family member calls in need of cash.

Government impersonation scams are a persistent and growing problem. Related emails often include misspelled names and addresses, missing words, incorrect grammar and faded government seals or letterheads.

The FBI and other government agencies will never:

• Call or email private citizens to demand payment, threaten arrest or request personal or sensitive information.
• Request payment via prepaid cards, wire transfers or bitcoin ATMs to avoid arrest.
• Ask you to liquidate assets into cash or purchase gold bars, silver or other precious metals.
• Ask you to use large sums of your own money to help catch a criminal.
• Call you about “frozen” Social Security numbers or inheritances.

“Fraudsters know that nobody wants to be the subject of a law enforcement investigation and they’re using fear and intimidation to try and cheat you out of your hard-earned money,” Setera said. “If you’re being asked to do this, you should be extremely suspicious, exercise extreme caution and contact law enforcement immediately through a published telephone number.”

If you think you are a scam victim, cease all contact with the scammers immediately, notify your financial institutions and safeguard any financial accounts. Be sure to keep any records of financial transactions, including prepaid cards and banking receipts, along with all telephone, text or email communications.

Contact your local law enforcement agency, file a police report, and file a complaint with the FBI’s cybercrime center at ic3.gov. To check if you have been contacted by an actual FBI employee, call the FBI Boston Division at 857-386-2000 and ask to be connected directly to that employee.