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People Who Want Your Money
Name the four pressure patterns that signal a scam — urgency, secrecy, unusual payment, and a stranger who already knows things about you — and recognize that any one of these patterns is the same signal with the same response
- Time
- 20–25 min
- Type
- exercise
- Bloom
- Apply → Apply
- XP
- 100
Architecture diagram for People Who Want Your Money. Dark background, gold-on-near-black. A single-page reference card design (no alarming styling, no exclamation marks in card headers or labels). TOP SECTION: Large high-contrast heading in the largest type on the page — 'ANY OF THESE MEANS: HANG UP AND CALL YOUR NUMBER.' Immediately below, four items in a visually unified block (not numbered, not bulleted with separate headers): Urgency / Secrecy / Unusual payment / A stranger who already knows things about you. MIDDLE SECTION: The largest standalone text on the page — 'THE ONLY NUMBER I CALL:' followed by a prominent double-rule blank line wide enough to hand-write a phone number. Small note below: 'This is the number printed on your own statement.' LOWER SECTION: Two definition blocks. Block 1 label in bold: 'TRUSTED CONTACT — a person they may WARN, who cannot touch your money.' Blank line: 'Name: _______________'. Block 2 label in bold: 'SELL-FRICTION — wait and call your number before you do anything.' No photographs, no faces. All dollar amounts would be $0 here (no financial figures on this card). Blank lines are double-rule weight to invite handwriting.
You'll be able to
- Name the four pressure patterns that signal a scam — urgency, secrecy, unusual payment, and a stranger who already knows things about you — and recognize that any one of these patterns is the same signal with the same response
- State the ONE-NUMBER RULE: the only number you ever call is the one printed on your own statement, the one you looked up yourself, because no scammer can retroactively change a number you already had before the call
- Apply the SELL-FRICTION pause before any unscheduled money movement and explain why the pause alone defeats the scammer's only tool — speed
- Define 'trusted contact' precisely: a person your bank may warn, who cannot touch your money — a witness and an alarm bell, not a key
- Classify any scenario — real or invented, including scams not yet invented — as a pressure pattern and state your first action
Key concepts · tap to reveal
1/16·Watch·Beat 1 · Hook
0%
Hook
A stranger calls. He knows your name. He knows your account digits. What do you do?
Your task Write a prompt that asks Claude to recommend the right AI setup for a real task you're facing — then weigh its answer against this lesson, "People Who Want Your Money."
a strong prompt:role · context · task · format · example
Exercise · scenario
# New Scenarios — Apply the Reflexes For each scenario below, identify the pressure pattern and state your first action. The reference card is available — use it. The goal is to practice until the reflex fires before you finish reading the scenario. **Scenario A — The Email** You receive an email from what appears to be your investment firm. It says your account has been selected for a savings review and asks you to click a link to confirm your identity and update your payment information before the end of the month. Pressure pattern: **urgency** (deadline), and a request for identity confirmation via a link you did not initiate. First action: do not click the link. Call your investment firm at the number on your most recent statement. **Scenario B — The Door Knock** A man knocks on your door and says he is from the utility company. There is a gas leak in the neighborhood. He needs to inspect your home immediately and you will need to pay a $75 safety inspection fee in cash before he begins. Pressure patterns: **urgency** ('immediately'), **unusual payment** (cash inspection fee). Real utility companies do not charge cash inspection fees for neighborhood safety responses.
Deliverable
The reference card from this lesson has everything you need on one page. Before you put it away, confirm you can state each item without looking. **Front of the card:** *Heading in large type:* ANY OF THESE MEANS: HANG UP AND CALL YOUR NUMBER - Urgency - Secrecy - Unusual payment - A stranger who already knows things about you *THE ONLY NUMBER I CALL:* [the number from your own statement or the back of your card — write it here] *TRUSTED CONTACT — a person they may WARN, who cannot touch your money.* Name: [write the name you chose] *SELL-FRICTION — wait and call your number before you do…
Practice · Scenarios
0 of 8 revealed
Scenario 1 of 8
A text message says your Social Security number has been suspended due to suspicious activity and you must call a provided number within 2 hours or legal action will begin. What is the pressure pattern and what is your first action?
Quiz · adaptive · 3 items
Mastery check
Match each term to its definition. Pass at 80% to earn the lesson's XP and unlock the next.
Sources
- [1]Unknown source·Unknown source (2026) · Vendor
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