Spooky, Scary Cybersecurity: 5 Monsters Hiding One Click Away

Monthly Money Man on October 23, 2026

This is the world we live in today. We are all working on our climb to our financial summit, and along the way there are people out there who don’t want to take charge of their own climb. So what do they do? They prey on ours. Scammers, fakers, hackers. These aren’t made-up monsters. They are real, they are one click away, and they aren’t just coming after us. They are coming after our loved ones too: our parents, our kids, our friends and our neighbors. So here are a few tips to keep in your pack as we continue this climb together.

First, how big is this? Americans lost a record $15.9 billion to scams in 2025, according to the Federal Trade Commission. About $3.5 billion of that came from people pretending to be someone you trust. That’s not a ghost story. That’s real money from real families.

If you only remember one thing

Most scams have three ingredients: Rush + Secret + Strange Payment. Someone pushes you to act right now, tells you to keep it quiet, and wants to be paid in an unusual way, like gift cards, cryptocurrency (digital money like Bitcoin), a wire transfer, or a payment app like Zelle that sends money instantly and can’t be undone. When you spot those ingredients, stop. Take a breath. Call someone you trust. Real emergencies can survive a five-minute phone call. Scams can’t.

Now let’s meet the monsters. Every one of them has a weakness, and once you know what to look for, they get a lot less scary.

1. The Voice Vampire

How to spot it

Your phone rings and it’s your son, your daughter or your grandkid. They sound scared. “I’m in trouble. I need money right now. Please don’t tell Mom.” It sounds exactly like them, because it is their voice. Scammers can now copy a voice with artificial intelligence from just a few seconds of video posted on social media.

How to beat it

Pick a family safe word tonight at the dinner table. Anyone who calls asking for emergency money has to say it. No safe word, no money. Say it out loud only. Never text it, email it or post it anywhere. And if the caller “forgets” it or says they’re too upset to remember, hang up and call your loved one back on the number you already have saved. I love this one because it’s free, it takes two minutes, and the kids think it’s pretty cool to have a secret password.

2. The Phantom Caller

How to spot it

“This is the fraud department at your bank. Your account has been compromised, and we need you to move your money to a safe account right away.” Sometimes it’s “the IRS.” Sometimes it’s “tech support” saying your computer has a virus. The caller ID might even show your bank’s real name.

How to beat it

Remember this one: no real bank or government agency will ever ask you to move your money to keep it safe. Ever. Hang up, flip your debit card over, and call the number on the back. If something really is wrong, the real bank will tell you.

3. The Link Spider

How to spot it

“Your package is delayed. Click here to reschedule.” “You have an unpaid toll. Pay now to avoid a fine.” These texts and emails look official, and that one tap takes you to a fake website built to steal your login or card number.

How to beat it

Don’t tap links in surprise messages. If you think it might be real, open the company’s app yourself or type the website address into your browser. If the delivery company or toll road really needs you, the message will be waiting in your actual account.

4. The Password Zombie

How to spot it

You used the same password for your email, your streaming account and your bank. Years later, one of those companies gets hacked. Now that old password comes back from the dead and starts trying every door you own.

How to beat it

Two moves. First, use a password manager. Think of it as a locked digital vault. It creates a strong, random password every time you sign up for something, stores it safely in scrambled code, and fills it in for you when you log in. You only memorize one master password to open the vault. The good news is you probably already have one, free, on your phone:

  • iPhone: look for the app called Passwords on your home screen (it comes with newer versions of iOS).
  • Android: it’s called Google Password Manager. You can find it in your phone’s Settings under Google, or by going to passwords.google.com.

Here’s a bonus most people don’t know: a password manager won’t fill in your password on a fake website, because it checks the real web address, not how the page looks.

Second, turn on two-step login. That means that after you type your password, the site also asks for a 6-digit code it sends to your phone. Even if a scammer steals your password, they can’t get in without your phone in their hand. (An authenticator app is just a free app that shows you that code instead of texting it, and it’s even safer.) You’ll usually find this setting under “Security” in your account. Start with your email and your bank. When you click “Forgot password?” on any site, the reset link goes to your email, so your email is the master key to everything else.

5. The Loot Goblin

How to spot it

This is the first scam most of our kids will ever meet. “Free Robux! Free V-Bucks! Just log in here.” Or a new “friend” in a game offers a rare item and then asks for a password or a gift card to unlock it. Security researchers have watched attacks on young gamers climb fast, and Roblox players are a favorite target.

How to beat it

Teach your kids one simple rule: nothing free ever needs your password. And if anyone, anywhere, asks for payment in gift cards, it’s a scam. Every time. Here’s why I love talking about this one with kids. The tricks they see in a video game are the exact same tricks adults see in their inbox. Learn them at 12, and you’re ready for them at 40.

Pack Your Family Defense Kit

Don’t try to do all of this at once. Take it one step at a time, just like the trail.

Tonight

  • Pick a family safe word and make sure everyone knows it, including grandparents.
  • Make a pause-and-call-back rule. Any call, text or message about money gets a pause and a call back to a number you already trust.

This weekend

  • Turn on two-step login for your email first, then your bank.

This month

  • Start using the password manager on your phone. Begin with your email and bank, then add other accounts as you log in to them. No need to do them all in one sitting.
  • Freeze your credit for free at all three credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. A freeze stops anyone from opening new credit in your name, and you can lift it any time you need to apply for something. You can freeze your kids’ credit too. It usually takes a little paperwork, like a copy of their birth certificate, but it’s worth it, because a child’s clean credit is a favorite target that nobody checks for years.
  • Check whether you already have identity theft coverage. Many homeowners and renters policies, employers and credit cards include it or offer it as an inexpensive add-on. Just know it usually pays for the cost of cleaning things up, not money a scammer already took.

What if it already happened?

First, no shame. This happens to smart, careful people every single day, and scammers are counting on embarrassment to keep you quiet. Here’s what to do in the first hour:

  1. Stop responding. Hang up, stop texting, and don’t send anything else.
  2. Call your bank or card company using the number on the back of your card. Tell them what happened and ask them to stop any payments.
  3. Change your passwords on any account the scammer may have touched, starting with your email.
  4. Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If someone used your personal information to open accounts, go to IdentityTheft.gov for a step-by-step recovery plan.

Keep Climbing

Here’s what I want you to take away. Scammers count on us being rushed, distracted and alone. A family that talks about this stuff at the kitchen table is a family that’s hard to fool. So share this with your parents. Talk about the Loot Goblin with your kids. Pick that safe word tonight.

And next week, we’ll keep the Halloween theme going with another monster that has a lot of people nervous right now: market volatility. We’ll sort the real monsters from the ghost stories, and I’ll show you why the best defense against a scary market is a strong base camp.

See you at the top,
Tony

This post is for education only and is not financial, legal or insurance advice. Every family’s situation is different, so check with your bank, insurer or a qualified professional about your specific needs.

Summer Spending Done Right

Monthly Money Man on June 5, 2026

Part 1 of a 4-Part Summer Series

Last summer I rappelled down a waterfall in the Costa Rican jungle with my boys. The flight there cost us about $30 a person.

I’ll explain that in a future article — because points travel is a whole conversation worth having. But I mention it because people around here ask me some version of the same question every spring: “So, what do you have planned this summer?”

I’ve built a bit of a reputation as the dad who always has a plan. What most people don’t know is that I built this system about fifteen years ago, when the Summit was a camping trip two hours from home and the budget was tight. The system didn’t change as our finances improved — it just had more to work with.

That same summer we hit Costa Rica, we also grabbed some kayaks with a few friends and spent an afternoon floating a local river. At one point, a beaver swam right up alongside our kayaks. The kids still talk about it. That trip cost almost nothing.

And one evening, we took my mom to the free airshow at the local airport and watched jets light up the sky.

Three very different experiences. One summer. One budget. One system.

Today I want to walk you through it — because whether your summer spending budget is $500 or $5,000, the same approach works.

What Most Finance Experts Get Wrong About Summer

Spending money on experiences doesn’t get a lot of love in the personal finance world. Some experts treat it like a guilty pleasure — something you do after you’ve checked all the responsible boxes.

I disagree. Respectfully, but firmly.

We’ve spent the last six months building your foundation together — safety nets, debt strategy, investing basics. That work matters. But so does this question: what is the point of climbing if you never stop to enjoy the view?

Your kids are growing up. Life is short. You’ve worked hard, and summer is one of the few stretches of the year where the whole family has space to breathe together.

Planned, intentional summer spending on experiences isn’t a detour from the climb. It’s part of it.

The Three Layers of an Epic Summer

I take whatever summer budget we have and sort it into three layers. Every year, same system.

Layer 1: The Summit

This is your one big bucket list experience for the summer. The thing you’ll talk about for years.

It doesn’t have to be international — it just has to feel epic to your family. A national park road trip. A week at a lake cabin. A camping adventure somewhere you’ve never been. One per summer. Give it the budget it deserves, and if you can, book it early. Prices are almost always cheaper in January than in June.

Layer 2: The Day Hikes

These are your medium-range experiences — memorable without being extravagant.

A kayak trip down a local river. A weekend at a waterpark. A baseball game. A day trip somewhere new. These fill the calendar between the Summit and everyday life. Aim for two or three depending on your budget, and don’t underestimate them. Some of our best memories have come from a $40 afternoon on the water.

Layer 3: The Boredom Busters

This is where the magic actually happens — and it’s the layer most families skip.

Boredom Busters are the low-cost, high-creativity activities that fill in all the gaps. A free airshow. A neighborhood game of flashlight tag after dark. A new set of pickleball paddles. A backyard movie night. Fireworks at the park with grandma.

These aren’t filler. They’re the connective tissue of a great summer. When there’s nothing big on the calendar and the kids are starting to melt into the couch, you pull from the list — and suddenly the day has a plan.

The families who have an epic summer aren’t always the ones with the biggest budget. They’re the ones who never run out of ideas.

Your Assignment Before Next Friday

Here’s what I want you to do this week.

Set your summer budget. Sit down and figure out what you realistically have available for summer fun. Not what you wish you had — what’s actually there. If the number is $1,000, that’s a solid Layer 2 experience and a full Boredom Buster list. That can be a genuinely great summer.

If money is tight this year, lean hard into Layer 3. Free festivals, library programs, state park trails, an airshow, a river walk. Summer doesn’t have a minimum spend requirement — but it does reward a plan.

Then make your three lists. Dream a little. What would your Summit look like this year? What are a couple of Day Hike ideas your family would love? And start a running Boredom Buster list you can pull from all summer long.

Don’t overthink it. This is supposed to be fun.

Next week we’re getting into vacation planning — how memberships, timing, and a little strategy can make a real trip more affordable than you think. It’s one of my favorite topics, and I think it’ll change how you look at summer expenses going forward.

You’ve done the hard work this spring. Now let’s make sure you actually enjoy the climb.

See you at the top.