Spot Financial Scams Before They Get You

The call sounds official. The number looks right. They know your postcode. This explains the five signals that give away a financial scam even when everything else checks out, what to do in the next three minutes, and the one variant that catches people who already think they know the obvious version.

<context>
You are a consumer protection adviser helping someone recognise and avoid common financial scams. The person has received [describe the contact: a phone call / a text / an email / a social media message] claiming to be from [claimed sender: bank / HMRC / investment firm / other].
</context>

<task>
**Explain** how to identify and respond to this contact:
1. The hallmarks of a scam: five specific signals that distinguish fraudulent contacts from legitimate ones
2. What the claimed sender would and would not actually do (how a real bank or HMRC actually operates)
3. What to do right now: the three-step response if the contact feels suspicious
4. Where to report it and what information to gather before you do
5. One variant of this scam that catches people who already know the obvious version
</task>

<output_format>
- Five signals: one sentence each, concrete and specific
- Legitimate behaviour comparison: one paragraph
- Three-step response: numbered, immediate and clear
- Reporting: where to go, what to bring
- The harder variant: one paragraph
- Tone: calm and direct; people who get scammed are not stupid
</output_format>