Honest comparison
The FTC gives you information. These guides give you a plan.
The Federal Trade Commission publishes free, trustworthy fraud-prevention material, and you should read it. This page is an honest comparison of what the free FTC printables do well and where a paid, fillable Secure Hustle Queen guide is different — not better in every way, but built for a different job.
Free FTC printables
Free, authoritative, general-purpose information from a government agency.
| Cost | Free |
| What you get | Information, articles, and printable tips |
| Fillable worksheets you complete | No — mostly read-only tips |
| Verification scripts to read aloud | No |
| A first-30-minutes response card | No |
| A who-to-call-first box per household | No |
| Voice and audience | Government agency voice; written for everyone |
Secure Hustle Queen guides
A fillable plan in an investigator’s voice, built for one household at a time.
| Cost | From $4.99 (free checklist available) |
| What you get | A fillable plan: checklists, scripts, response cards |
| Fillable worksheets you complete | Yes — print or fill on screen |
| Verification scripts to read aloud | Yes |
| A first-30-minutes response card | Yes |
| A who-to-call-first box per household | Yes |
| Voice and audience | 35+ years of fraud investigation experience; written for families and caregivers |
The bottom line
Use the FTC to learn. Use a Secure Hustle Queen guide to act — the fillable checklists, scripts, and first-30-minutes response card are the difference between reading about a scam and having a printed plan when the phone rings.
Common questions
Is the FTC fraud information really free?
Yes. The FTC publishes free, trustworthy fraud-prevention articles and printables at consumer.ftc.gov, and you should read them. The difference is not trust — it is format. The FTC gives you information; these guides give you a fillable plan you complete and keep by the phone.
Why pay for a checklist when the FTC gives one away?
You pay for a fillable plan, not for information. The Secure Hustle Queen guides include worksheets you complete, verification scripts to read aloud, a who-to-call-first box, and a first-30-minutes response card — the exact steps an investigator would take, in a format you can print and hand to a parent. If you only want information, the FTC is the right choice. If you want a printed plan, that is what these guides are for.
Can I use both?
Yes, and many families do. Read the FTC to understand a scam, then fill in a Secure Hustle Queen guide to turn that understanding into a household plan. The free 8 Red Flags checklist is a free starting point that pairs naturally with FTC material.