What are some practical steps that you can take? the letter s stands for slow down, take a second — if you are being solicited by an outside company for a limited time offer, using high pressure tactics, that you have to act now, that is a big red flag and something that you have to be cautious about. the second letter is c, that stands for cheques and cards, if you are being asked to cash a check or to purchase gift cards and send them back to the company, that is a big red flag. the a in scam is ask questions, ask google, ask your mum, ask a trusted friend, ask somebody that you know will ...