yoyosupScam education · consumer safetyPlain-English reporting on the scams that hit families
yoyosup is an independent publication. We explain how package-fee texts, fake bank alerts, IRS threats, and gift-card demands actually work — then what to do next. No app. No account. Written for parents, grandparents, and anyone who does not want a lecture in tech jargon.
How scammers steal your money and information
By Tony · Publisher, yoyosup
Most people who lose money to a text or a call were not “hacked.” They were rushed. A lookalike tracking page asks for a $2.99 redelivery fee. A voice claiming to be the bank wants the code that just arrived. A boss on a new number needs gift cards this afternoon. The pattern is the same: fear, a short deadline, and a payment method that cannot be reversed.
This guide walks through the eight tricks that show up again and again — impersonation, lookalike links, gift-card payment, overpayment checks, romance “investment” stories — in language you can forward to a parent. It also points to the free checkers on this site if you have a specific message, number, or QR in front of you.
Read the full guideLatest guides
USPS “pay a small fee” texts
Why $1–$3 redelivery links are usually phishing — and what to do if you already tapped one.
Amazon delivery and “Mail Services” texts
The message looks like a missed delivery. The site is not Amazon. How to tell in under a minute.
Bank and Zelle fraud-alert texts
Lookalike domains, fake fraud desks, and why you never read a one-time code to a cold caller.
IRS warrant and tax-debt threats
The IRS does not demand gift cards by text. Calm next steps if the message already scared you.
Fake remote-job and overpayment scams
Too-good offers, “I paid you twice — send the extra back,” and how to check before you Zelle.
Toll-free callback scams
Missed call from an 800 number. Calling back can connect you to a script, not a real office.
How to talk with parents about scams
A family-safety walkthrough you can use without sounding like you are taking their phone away.
Gift-card payment requests
The #1 tell across boss, grandkid, and romance stories — and why “just this once” is the trap.
Who writes this
I’m Tony. I’m 56. I grew up in rural central Minnesota, studied computer science, and have worked in high tech — including cybersecurity — since before most people had email. Our family has seven kids and three grandkids. That is the audience I write for: people who are careful, not “into tech,” and tired of being rushed by a text that looks official.
yoyosup is a small independent project, not a bank, carrier, or government site. Guides are written in plain English, with specific sample scams and next steps. We do not hard-sell on the screen where someone is already staring at a scary score. Corrections and questions go through Contact. Longer bio on the About page.
Editorial standards
- Explain the scam with a real sample, not a slogan.
- Tell people what not to tap, and where the real company actually lives (the app or the number on the back of the card).
- Keep ads — when Google approves them — on long guides, not on the moment of panic.
- Free checkers stay free. No signup to read a score.
Need to check a message right now?
Paste the text or a screenshot. Scoring runs in your browser. We do not sell the message.
How a check works
1. Copy the link or whole text (press and hold → Copy — don’t open it). 2. Paste into free ScamCheck or LinkCheck. 3. Read the plain-English score, then use the real company app if you still need to act.
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The full article library
Package fees, bank/Zelle alerts, IRS threats, Apple ID phishing, toll/DMV texts, gift cards, romance and job scams — with clear next steps.
Free checkers
Paste a text, phone number, link, or QR for an instant risk score. Password helpers and family-safety checklists — all in the browser.
Daily attention map
Where stories rank across Google, Bing, X, YouTube, Polymarket & more — plus MyNews for topics you follow.
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Treasury and mortgage rates, forex, crypto context, and market headlines — free to open.
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Convert, resize, remove backgrounds and watermarks — entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
Also in the library
- Apple ID / iCloud lock alertsVerify in Settings — not a random SMS link.
- Unpaid toll & DMV pay-link textsThe 2024–2026 tiny-toll wave and how to check official state sites.
- Romance and pig-butchering scamsWhen a new friend moves the conversation off the app and toward “investing.”
- Pop-up tech-support scamsA frozen screen and a phone number are not Microsoft, Apple, or your ISP.
- AI for dummiesWhat to learn, watch, do, and never paste into a chatbot.
- Secure home Wi-Fi for a familyRouter basics in plain English — not a certification course.