A troubling message landed in our inbox, and it reveals a scam that many people have never seen. Before we break it down, here is the email that Gary from Palmetto, Florida, sent us:

"This just happened to a friend of mine. It's the first time I've heard of this scam. She bought a new phone from Spectrum. 2 days later, she got a call saying they were from Spectrum and told her that they'd accidentally given her a refurbished phone rather than a new one and asked her to send it back, which he did. However, that night she got the feeling that something wasn't right. She contacted UPS the next day and Spectrum, and verified that it was a scam, and fortunately was able to get her phone back, but UPS told her that they actually changed the return address and the address it was going to as soon as it was shipped. She was just darn lucky she got her phone back. But like I say, this is something new. Nobody I've talked to has heard of it yet," it wrote.

This experience shows how quickly scammers evolve. It also highlights how important fast action can be when something feels off.

HOW 3.5B WHATSAPP NUMBERS WERE SCRAPED AND EXPOSED

Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy Report 
Get my best tech tips, urgent security alerts and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, you’ll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide — free when you join my CYBERGUY.COM newsletter.

You may avoid this scam when you know the steps criminals use to pull it off. Here is how they operate.

They start by watching recent phone or carrier purchases through leaked data, phishing or stolen shipment information. Because they know when a phone was delivered, they can time the call with precision.

Next, they pretend to represent Spectrum or another carrier. They claim a mix-up happened and say the customer received a refurbished device. Since the call ties directly to a real purchase, the story feels believable.

After that, they send a prepaid label that looks official. Once the victim ships the phone, they alter the destination through UPS or FedEx tools or hacked accounts. As a result, the device gets rerouted fast.

Sometimes they even send a second message or call to confirm receipt. This extra touch delays the moment the victim realizes the package went to a different address.

Gary's friend sensed something felt wrong. She contacted UPS and Spectrum right away which allowed them to intercept the shipment before final delivery.

FAKE AGENT PHONE SCAMS ARE SPREADING FAST ACROSS THE US

These simple actions can stop this scam early and keep your new phone safe.

Always check with your carrier through its official phone number or website chat before you ship a device.

Treat any label that appears outside your verified online account as suspicious since scammers use these to reroute packages.

Use your own shipping and send the phone only after you verify the correct return address with your carrier.

Scammers use phrases like we made a mistake or we will credit your account to push quick action. Slow down and confirm before you do anything.

Create a PIN and turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) to protect your account from unauthorized access.

Strong antivirus software blocks phishing sites and dangerous links that scammers use to steal account data. It also warns you about scam calls and messages tied to known threats.

The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe.

Get my picks for the best 2025 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at Cyberguy.com.

A data removal service pulls your information off people search sites that expose your address, carrier details and phone number. Lowering that exposure reduces targeted scam calls.

While no service can guarantee the complete removal of your data from the internet, a data removal service is really a smart choice. They aren't cheap, and neither is your privacy. These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites. It's what gives me peace of mind and has proven to be the most effective way to erase your personal data from the internet. By limiting the information available, you reduce the risk of scammers cross-referencing data from breaches with information they might find on the dark web, making it harder for them to target you.

THIS IS WHAT YOU ARE DOING WRONG WHEN SCAMMERS CALL

Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com.

Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web: Cyberguy.com.

Scammers sometimes add fake orders or create return requests inside your carrier account. Reviewing your activity can reveal tampering quickly. Check your carrier account for new orders or changes. Look for return requests, shipping labels or edits you did not make.

Most carriers and shipping companies let you enable text or email alerts. This makes it harder for scammers to reroute a package without you knowing. Turn on delivery alerts with UPS, FedEx or USPS. Real-time updates help you catch reroutes before your device moves too far.

Scammers often use stolen UPS or FedEx credentials to change addresses. Secure your UPS or FedEx accounts with strong passwords. This limits unauthorized access that scammers rely on. Consider using a password manager, which securely stores and generates complex passwords, reducing the risk of password reuse.

Next, see if your email has been exposed in past breaches. Our No. 1 password manager pick includes a built-in breach scanner that checks whether your email address or passwords have appeared in known leaks. If you discover a match, immediately change any reused passwords and secure those accounts with new, unique credentials.

Check out the best expert-reviewed password managers of 2025 at Cyberguy.com.

Some scammers ask victims to read tracking numbers or label details. They use these codes to hijack shipments. Never share tracking numbers or label details with anyone who calls you. Scammers use those numbers to redirect packages.

Your report helps carriers investigate similar attempts. Report any suspicious calls to your carrier's fraud department. Your story can help protect other customers from the same scheme.

Phone return scams keep spreading because scammers watch for any moment when people feel rushed or distracted. When a new device arrives, most of us feel excited and eager to get it set up, which gives criminals a narrow window to strike. Taking a few simple steps to verify every return request can shut down the entire scheme before it reaches your door. Slow down, check the details, and trust your instincts if anything feels off. Your caution can save you from losing a brand-new phone to a convincing lie.

What scam attempts have you or someone you know run into lately that others should know about? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy Report 
Get my best tech tips, urgent security alerts and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, you’ll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide — free when you join my CYBERGUY.COM newsletter. 

Copyright 2025 CyberGuy.com.  All rights reserved.

A large-scale international study found that creative activities such as music, dance, painting and even certain video games may help keep the brain biologically "younger."

Researchers from 13 countries — including teams at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland and SWPS University in Poland — analyzed brain data from more than 1,400 adults of all ages worldwide and found that those who regularly pursue creative hobbies show brain patterns that appear younger than their actual age.

Even short bursts of creative activity, such as a few weeks of strategy-based video gaming, had noticeable benefits, according to the study, which was published in the journal Nature Communications in October.

7 KEY BEHAVIORS THAT COULD SHIELD YOUR BRAIN FROM PARKINSON’S DISEASE

Scientists collected brain data from people with advanced experience in tango, music, visual art and strategy gaming, but they also recruited non-experts for comparison. In addition, a third group of beginners underwent short-term training in StarCraft II, a strategy video game, so researchers could see how learning a new creative skill affects the brain over just a few weeks.

All participants underwent EEG and MEG brain scans that were fed into machine-learning "brain age" models, or brain clocks, which estimate how old the brain appears biologically versus chronologically. Researchers then used advanced computer models to explore why creativity might protect the brain and found that the hobbies help strengthen the networks responsible for coordination, attention, movement and problem-solving, which can weaken with age.

SCIENTISTS UNCOVER HOW SOME 80-YEAR-OLDS HAVE THE MEMORY OF 50-YEAR-OLDS

People with years of creative practice showed the strongest reductions in brain age, but even beginners saw improvements, with strategy games boosting brain-age markers after roughly 30 hours of training.

"One of our key takeaways is that you do not need to be an expert to benefit from creativity," Dr. Carlos Coronel, first author and postdoctoral fellow at the Global Brain Health Institute, Trinity College Dublin and Universidad Adolfo Ibanez, said in a statement. "Indeed, we found that learners gained from brief video game training sessions."

According to the researchers, this was the first large-scale evidence directly linking multiple creative fields to slower brain aging, though previous research has linked creativity to improved mood and well-being.

BRAIN AGING MAY SLOW WITH GREEN TEA, WALNUTS AND TINY SWAMP PLANT, STUDY FINDS

"Creativity emerges as a powerful determinant of brain health, comparable to exercise or diet," senior author Dr. Agustin Ibanez of Trinity College Dublin said in a statement. "Our results open new avenues for creativity-based interventions to protect the brain against aging and disease."

Dr. Aneta Brzezicka of SWPS University added that the findings suggest that creative pastimes should be incorporated into educational and healthcare programs as tools to support brain health.

TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ

The study also showed that brain clocks, a relatively new tool gaining steam in neuroscience, can be used to monitor interventions aimed at improving brain health, Ibanez said.

The researchers cautioned, however, that the results are early and come with caveats, including that most participants were healthy adults, many subgroups were small, and the study didn't track people long-term to see whether younger-looking brains actually lead to lower dementia risk or better daily functioning.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER

"The brain clock, in preliminary studies, shows promise and accounts for the diversity of the factors that can contribute to that wide disparity between our brain age and chronological age," Dr. Jon Stewart Hao Dy, a board-certified adult neurologist from the Philippines, told Fox News Digital. 

"However, it's important for the public to know that brain health is influenced by a multitude of factors that cause a wide brain age gap," added Dy, who was not involved in the study. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE STORIES

Creative people often have other advantages, the researchers noted, such as higher education, robust social lives and better access to arts and activities, and the study couldn't fully separate those factors from the effects of creativity itself.

"Evidence shows that dancing, painting, pottery, embroidery and even museum visits confer the greatest neuroprotection in preserving cognition and improving cognitive function in older adults," Dy said, and he agreed that the science is strong enough to justify action. "It's a matter of translating it into public policy that will fund and support these programs."

The work, which was funded by academic and public research bodies, will now be followed by more comprehensive studies that add other creative fields and link brain-age measures to real-world outcomes such as memory, thinking skills and disease risk.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the study authors for comment.