Scams are getting more sophisticated. Here’s how to stay safe.

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On a recent Saturday morning, my future mother-in-law got a call from Central Maine Power, Maine’s largest utility company. At least she thought it was from them.

The caller, who identified himself as Ryan with CMP, told her that her payment was overdue and that he was headed over to her house to disconnect her power unless she paid the balance. “Ryan” gave her a reference number for her case and a phone number to call, which featured a standard pre-recorded menu of options (“press extension 2 for billing and payment”). A woman purporting to be another CMP employee picked up and advised her to pay her balance through Zelle, a digital service linked to many banks that transfers money quickly. If she paid through her CMP account or with a credit card, the woman warned, it wouldn’t clear in time to stop the disconnection.

It was at this point that my fiancée’s mom became suspicious. She logged into her online CMP account, saw that her outstanding balance was $0, and told the billing operator that. The operator hung up immediately.

The experience left her embarrassed and shaken, common feelings for the 2.6 million people in the US who reported being targeted by a scam last year. Scams, which now steal more money from Americans than ever, have become increasingly sophisticated. Here’s how you can protect yourself.

Scams have become more ubiquitous, complex, and effective for two main reasons: technology and the involvement of foreign criminal groups.

Technology has made it easier for scammers to find victims. Phishing — attempts to steal your personal information through emails, texts, or robocalls — spiked during the pandemic, when many Americans started spending more time online. Leaks, hacks, and the buying and selling of Americans’ personal data can help scammers find phone numbers and addresses. Many Americans post personal information online, which scammers extract and save.

“Scammers are where people are,” said Rosario Mendez, an assistant director at the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, which tracks fraud data.

Technology has also made scams easier to pull off. It’s cheap to send robocalls, text messages, and emails in bulk. Artificial intelligence can create legitimate-looking websites and generate voices, images, and even videos — called deepfakes — that appear to be family members, friends, or coworkers. The growing popularity of cryptocurrency has made more people susceptible to investment scams in which fraudsters pose as crypto experts who promise to make them millions.

International criminal groups have increasingly gotten in on the action. So-called “scam farms,” many based in Southeast Asia, became more common during Covid. They often coerce trafficked people into targeting Americans and others with scam texts, calls, and social media outreaches. Members of Mexico’s Jalisco drug cartel have posed as brokers — and even Treasury Department officials — to defraud American timeshare owners.

“Fraud is a business,” said Kathy Stokes of AARP’s Fraud Watch Network, which helps Americans spot and report scams. “Criminals follow the news just like everybody else, and they take advantage of what they know.”

Those factors helped drive reported fraud losses in the US to a record $12.5 billion last year, according to data the Federal Trade Commission released this month — a 25 percent increase over 2023, even as the number of people who reported being targeted by scams stayed even. Many Americans are ashamed to report their experiences, so the true amount is undoubtedly higher.

Scammers are also adaptable. College students are vulnerable to employment scams, in which fraudsters pose as job recruiters. Despite the stereotype that older people are at greater risk, consumers in their 20s reported losing money more often than consumers in their 70s last year.

Most scams, whether they come via cold phone calls, fishy texts, or emails with suspicious attachments, have a few things in common: The contact is unexpected, has a sense of urgency, and is designed to elicit a strong emotional response, according to Stokes of AARP.

A classic example is the “grandparent scam”: a middle-of-the-night phone call in which a supposed grandchild calls for bail money. Scammers want you to trust them, act quickly, and, often, pay them in a way that makes it hard to recover your money. In response, Stokes recommends an “active pause”: giving yourself time to think, ask skeptical questions, and call a relative.

There are also ways to prevent at least some scams from reaching you in the first place. Stokes suggests installing an app on your cell phone that blocks unknown numbers — like Hiya, Truecaller, or Nomorobo — and following organizations that track scams like the FTC’s Consumer Alerts, AARP’s Fraud Watch Network, and the Better Business Bureau’s Scam Tracker. While there are no guarantees, the FTC lists ways you can try to get your money back.

Local news is also a good way to find scams circulating in your area. The Portland Press Herald covered the Central Maine Power scam in January, and the number “Ryan” told my fiancée’s mother to call was previously flagged as fraud. Earlier this year, the Globe wrote about a texting scam that instructed E-ZPass customers in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire to pay supposed outstanding toll balances.

And if you do get scammed, report it. You’ll be helping others avoid falling victim. As Stokes said, “It can happen, and does happen, to everybody.”

🧩 7 Across: Meek | 🌤️ 50º Sun + clouds

Boston

• Money matters: Josh Kraft, the billionaire’s son running for mayor, out-raised Mayor Michelle Wu last month. But Wu had more donors, grassroots support that may help her win.
• Doctor who? Beth Israel surgeons are conducting robot-assisted liver transplants, which they hope will enable more surgeries and shorten recovery times.
• Bridge to nowhere: The Northern Avenue bridge, a rickety 640-foot span over the Fort Point Channel, will be scrapped sans any plan to replace it.
• Self-deporting: A Turkish man wants ICE to deport him so he can avoid being prosecuted for rape in Brighton.

Massachusetts

• Venial sin? Paul Toner, a Cambridge city councilor caught frequenting a brothel ring, says he won’t resign.
• Manhunt: Police are searching for a 22-year-old Brockton man who they believe shot and killed two teenagers outside a mall on Saturday.
• Local impact: Massachusetts parents fear that potential GOP cuts to Medicaid, which helps fund MassHealth, will harm the nearly half of children in the state enrolled in it.
• Long ride: For the first time in 65 years, residents of Fall River and other South Coast communities can take the commuter rail into Boston.

Trump administration

• ‘Punishment’: Top colleges, including many in New England, are bracing for congressional Republicans to try to raise the tax the schools pay on their endowments.
• Free speech debate: A Columbia University student who is a legal permanent resident sued Trump after immigration agents tried to deport her for participating in pro-Palestinian protests. (NYT)
• Not so fast: A judge blocked Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency from accessing people’s private data at federal departments including Education and Treasury. (AP)
• Post hoc: Louis DeJoy, who became the postmaster general during Trump’s first term, stepped down as administration officials weigh privatizing the agency. (Axios)
• School’s in: Massachusetts school districts are suing over the administration’s efforts to dismantle the Education Department.
• Art critic: Trump called a portrait of him on display at the Colorado state capitol “truly the worst.” Now it’s being taken down. (Denver Post)

By Teresa Hanafin, Globe Staff

🎧 Heartbreak Hotel Hill: With the Boston Marathon approaching (April 21), our colleagues are assembling a playlist of good songs to run to. And they want your help.

🧬 DNA alert: Ever do one of those 23andMe genetic tests? The company has gone bankrupt, and experts say you should delete your data. Here’s how. (Wired)

🌿 Spring cooking: Milk Street has some herb-themed recipes: a mint and feta dip, fish in parsley sauce, and chicken with cilantro and lemon.

⚾️ Crystal ball: Will the Red Sox win the AL East? Which teams will get to the World Series? Our sportswriters have predictions for the 2025 MLB season.

📖 Turn the page: Bibliotherapy is hot. Reading books can help you relax and even gain insights, like where the heck your local library is. (CNN)

📺 TV this week: Seth Rogan looks old in “The Studio,” Helen Mirren emanates ferocity in “MobLand,” and everybody is happy on “Mid-Century Modern.”

⛷️ Downhill racer: Skier Lindsey Vonn, 40, became the oldest woman to win a World Cup medal, taking silver at the super-G at Sun Valley. (USA Today)

🎸 Money is on its way: The Jonas Brothers are bringing their “Living the Dream” tour to Fenway Park Aug. 23.

Thanks for reading Starting Point.

This newsletter was edited by Teresa Hanafin and produced by Bill Geshwender and Diamond Naga Siu.

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Ian Prasad Philbrick can be reached at ian.philbrick@globe.com.