Plain-word glossary

Nobody should have to learn jargon to keep their savings. But these words come up, so here they are without the fog.

Two-factor authentication (2FA) — A second step when logging in, usually a six-digit code texted to your phone. It's a good thing and you should turn it on. Nobody should ever ask you to read that code out loud. It exists to keep other people out.

Verification code / one-time code — Same thing. The six digits. Say them to no one, ever, under any circumstances.

Phishing — A message pretending to be from a company, designed to get your password or your call.

Smishing — Phishing by text message. You don't need the word; you just need to never tap a link in a message you didn't ask for.

Spoofing — Faking what appears on a screen: a caller ID, a sender's name, an email address. Cheap and easy. See can caller ID be faked.

Remote access — Letting someone control your computer from elsewhere. Real technicians use it. So do scammers, with the same tools: AnyDesk, TeamViewer, LogMeIn, UltraViewer. Nobody legitimate calls you and asks for it.

Malware — Harmful software. Real, but far rarer than the popups claiming you have it.

Ransomware — Software that locks your files and demands payment. Mostly aimed at businesses.

Data broker — A company that compiles and sells files about individuals. Legal. The reason a stranger knows your address.

Data breach — When a company you dealt with gets hacked and your details escape. Not your fault and not preventable by you.

Sucker list — A list of people who've been scammed before, sold to other scammers. The reason the second scam always comes.

Cryptocurrency / Bitcoin — Digital money that moves like cash and cannot be reversed. Not itself a scam, but the favorite vehicle, for exactly that reason.

Crypto ATM / Bitcoin kiosk — The machines in gas stations. If anyone is on the phone with you while you stand at one, you are being robbed. There is no other reason for that call.

Wire transfer — Bank-to-bank money movement, usually irreversible, sometimes recallable within hours if you call immediately.

Zelle / Venmo / Cash App — Instant payment apps. Built for people who already trust each other. Money sent is generally gone.

Chargeback — Disputing a credit card charge. The strongest consumer protection available to an ordinary person. It's why credit cards are the safest way to pay someone you're unsure of.

Credit freeze — Blocking new credit accounts from being opened in your name. Free, reversible, doesn't affect your score or your existing cards. The single best hour of protection available.

Trusted contact — Someone you name at your bank or brokerage who can be called if they see something worrying. They get no access and no control. Ask for it by name.

Voice cloning — Software that copies a person's voice from a few seconds of audio. Free, fast, and convincing. Defeated by a callback and a code word.

Deepfake — A fabricated video or image of a real person. Now used for fake celebrity investment endorsements.

Pig butchering — An ugly industry term for a long-running scam that builds a relationship for months before introducing a fake investment. The costliest pattern in America.

Money mule — Someone who moves stolen money for a scammer, often without knowing it. If a stranger asks you to receive money and forward it, or forward packages, this is what's being asked — and it carries real legal risk for you.

Elder fraud — The FBI's category for fraud against people 60 and over. 201,266 complaints and $7.7 billion reported in 2025.

IC3 — The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, at ic3.gov. Where to report.

Cooling-off rule — Federal law giving you three days to cancel most sales made at your door. Door-to-door contractors are required to tell you. Many don't.

You don't need most of this

You can forget every word on this page and still be fine. The three steps work without any of it.

The vocabulary is here so that nobody can use jargon to make you feel out of your depth. When someone on the phone starts using technical words, that's usually the point — and now it won't work.