The world&#x27;s scam warning library

Gambling & Betting Scams

Rigged casinos, fake sportsbooks, tipster cons and betting-recovery scams that take stakes and winnings.

Bereavement & Inheritance Scams

Fake inheritances, funeral-cost cons, obituary phishing and estate-fee scams that exploit grief and loss.

Benefits & Welfare Scams

Fake benefit applications, grant approvals, rebate texts and reactivation cons that harvest data and fees.

Faith & Religious Scams

Prosperity-gospel investments, fake tithing portals, pilgrimage cons and clergy-impersonation scams.

Ticket & Event Scams

Fake concert, festival and sports tickets, duplicate barcodes and resale cons that leave you locked out.

Adult & Creator-Platform Scams

Creator-economy and adult-platform cons: fake subscriptions, payout-verification fees and management scams.

Finance Scams

Investment, crypto, loan, pension and recovery scams designed to take your money and then take it again.

Online Shopping Scams

Fake stores, fake delivery texts, counterfeit goods and non-delivery scams that take payment and vanish.

Romance & Relationship Scams

Emotional manipulation used to extract money, often blended with crypto investment grooming.

Job & Income Scams

Fake recruiters, task scams, work-from-home traps and pay-to-get-paid schemes targeting job seekers.

Travel Scams

Fake booking sites, hotel phishing, fake visa services and rental scams aimed at travellers.

Government Impersonation Scams

Fake tax, police, immigration and court demands using fear and urgency to force payment.

Tech Scams

Fake support calls, phishing, malware popups, QR-code and remote-access scams.

AI-Era Scams

Deepfake voices, cloned websites, AI trading bots and synthetic endorsements raising the stakes.

Business Scams

Invoice redirection, CEO fraud, business email compromise and fake suppliers targeting organisations.

Health & Medical Scams

Fake pharmacies, miracle cures, bogus health insurance and medical identity theft that risk your money and health.

Housing & Rental Scams

Fake rental listings, deposit theft, foreclosure-relief fraud, moving-company scams and real-estate wire fraud.

Crypto & Web3 Scams

Rug pulls, wallet drainers, fake airdrops, seed-phrase phishing and bogus staking that exploit irreversible crypto.

Lottery & Prize Scams

Fake lottery wins, prize notifications and sweepstakes that demand an upfront fee for a prize that doesn't exist.

Charity & Disaster Scams

Fake charities, disaster-relief appeals and bogus crowdfunding that exploit generosity, especially after tragedies.

Utility & Energy Scams

Fake shut-off threats, bogus energy brokers, solar and rebate scams that impersonate your utility company.

Auto & Vehicle Scams

Fake vehicle listings, escrow and shipping fraud, VIN cloning, title washing and bogus extended warranties.

Telecom & Account Scams

SIM swapping, number porting, account takeover and hacked-friend scams that hijack your phone and logins.

Insurance Scams

Fake health, auto, life and travel insurance, ghost brokers, and bogus claims-settlement schemes.

Education & Student Scams

Student-loan-forgiveness, scholarship, diploma-mill, tuition-payment and study-abroad scams.

Gaming Scams

Free-currency generators, account takeovers, fake marketplaces and item-trading scams targeting players.

Identity Theft & Data Scams

Synthetic identity, account-opening fraud, credential theft and data-breach exploitation that hijack who you are.

Mail & Courier Fraud

Courier 'card collection' fraud, mail theft, check washing and parcel-redelivery scams that exploit post and deliveries.

Legal & Immigration Scams

Fake visa, green-card and legal services, deportation-threat extortion and bogus settlement or lawsuit claims.

Subscription & Billing Scams

Negative-option billing, free-trial traps, cramming and hard-to-cancel subscriptions that drain accounts quietly.

Pet & Animal Scams

Puppy-deposit and fake-breeder scams, escalating pet-shipping fees, and bogus adoption or lost-pet schemes.

MLM, Pyramid & Hustle Scams

Recruitment-only pyramid schemes, product-based MLM traps, gifting circles and 'passive income' hustle schemes.

Social Media & Account Takeover

Verification-badge phishing, hacked-friend impersonation, account-recovery cons and content-monetization traps.

Home Services & Contractor Scams

Door-to-door and contractor cons — driveway paving, storm-chaser roofing, fake locksmiths, and disappearing-deposit handymen.

Extortion & Blackmail Scams

Sextortion-spam emails, intimate-image blackmail, ransom-DDoS and doxxing threats that demand payment for silence.

Imposter & Emergency Scams

Grandparent and family-emergency cons, fake-boss gift-card requests, and 'your relative is in trouble' calls that manufacture panic.

Street & In-Person Scams

Classic confidence tricks and street cons run face to face — three-card monte, the pigeon drop, change-raising, distraction theft, and tourist-targeted scams.

Scam Alerts37 Glossary868 Scams by Platform25 Scams by Payment23 Scams by Target12 Scam Message Library Flagged Firms (regulator warnings)11,118 Open Data & API4 Brand Impersonation73 Focused Guides4,021 Scam Statistics52 Threat Snapshot4 Community Reports Data Breaches1,037 Comparisons148 Questions & Answers1,609

Payment Card & ATM Fraud

Physical and digital theft of card data — ATM and gas-pump skimmers, chip shimmers, card cloning, and web-skimming (Magecart) checkout attacks.

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Investment Scams

Fake or manipulated investment opportunities that promise high, guaranteed returns and pressure you to deposit quickly.

Crypto Scams

Fraud built around cryptocurrency — fake exchanges, wallet-draining links, giveaway scams and bogus trading platforms.

Forex Scams

Fake foreign-exchange trading schemes and 'account managers' that promise steady FX profits and block withdrawals.

Fake Trading Platforms

Slick websites and apps that simulate trading and show fake profits to keep you depositing.

Pig-Butchering Scams

Long-con investment fraud that blends romance or friendship with a fake crypto trading platform.

Loan Scams

Fake lenders that demand upfront 'fees', insurance or deposits before releasing a loan that never arrives.

Scams in the news

FBI uncovers 35 potential new victims in romance fraud case involving man who posed as NFL player
PORTLAND, Ore. — FBI officials on Friday announced the discovery of 35 potential new victims in the case against Daejon Love, the man accused of defrauding dozens of women by posing as a former NFL player for the San Francisco 49ers. Love and an alleged accomplice, 18-year-old Taylor Chan, were arrested in Boise in August and charged with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Federal prosecutors in Portland said the scheme began in 2022 and used fake bank accounts, dating profiles and…
wltx.com · Sep 21, 2026
NC woman drained savings, 401K to help ‘friend’ that turned out to be a scam — but it only got worse from there
NC woman drained savings, 401K to help ‘friend’ that turned out to be a scam — but it only got worse from there Published Sep. 21, 2026, 1:06 p.m. ET See more of our coverage in your search results.Add The New York Post on Google A fraudster brought home the bacon after a massive pig butchering scam. Lori Flowers, 58, was the latest victim in a massive, $600,000 scam after thinking she was helping out a friend. The pig-butchering scam — an investment scheme where victims get “fattened” with fal…
nypost.com · Sep 21, 2026
She lost $600,000 in a pig-butchering scam. Then came the tax bill
She lost $600,000 in a pig-butchering scam. Then came the tax bill When the man from Brussels asked Lori Flowers to lend him $400,000 from her 401(k), she thought she was bailing out her best friend. By the time the “pig-butchering” scam was over, Flowers had forked over $600,000, funds she would never see again. And then came the tax bill. American tax law used to protect victims of theft such as Flowers – until Congress gutted the provision when it passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in 2017. St…
usatoday.com · Sep 21, 2026
EXCLUSIVE: Background Of Illegal Immigrant Who Defrauded Travis Kelce Revealed
The illegal immigrant convicted of defrauding Taylor Swift’s husband, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, in a $35 million Ponzi scheme overstayed his visa and had a conviction for another crime, The Daily Wire has learned. Indian national Siddharth Jawahar, 38, was sentenced last week to 11 years in prison and ordered to pay $31.35 million in restitution to the victims, including Kelce and others. During a recent court hearing, Kelce was named as a victim in the case, according to KMOV.…
dailywire.com · Sep 21, 2026
Rs 93.58-lakh investment fraud racket busted; 3 arrested in Bengaluru
Rs 93.58-lakh investment fraud racket busted; 3 arrested in Bengaluru The Bengaluru Police arrested three men for running a fake Rs 93.58-lakh investment scam using mule bank accounts and APK tools. The probe points to a wider interstate and possibly international cyber fraud network. Three men have been arrested in connection with an investment fraud racket that police said procured mule bank accounts and helped move cyber fraud proceeds through APK-based applications. The accused have been id…
indiatoday.in · Sep 21, 2026
'Keep Digging'... Says Shovel-Salesman Jensen Huang
'Keep Digging'... Says Shovel-Salesman Jensen Huang Submitted by QTR's Fringe Finance Maybe it’s the bullshit detection genes that were passed down to me from my mother, but I simply can’t wind up trusting a word Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says about how much AI regulation the United States needs. Just call it a gut reaction from me. It doesn’t mean Huang is necessarily wrong about AI. It’s just that I look at him and all I can see is one of the most financially conflicted people on…
zerohedge.com · Sep 20, 2026

Headlines from their original publishers via the Currents news API — each link opens the source article.

Scam risk signals

Is this a scam? Check the signals

Crypto or gift-card payment, urgency, secrecy, "safe account" transfers, deposits before withdrawal, and remote-access requests are all major warning signs.

A real bank, police officer, court, tax agency, or government department should not pressure you to move money into a “safe account.” Treat this as a critical warning sign and contact your bank using the official number on your card or banking app.

Country reporting guides

Southeast Asia

Thailand

Common scams affecting tourists and residents in Thailand, plus how and where to report them.

Europe

United Kingdom

The most common scams in the UK and how to report them via Report Fraud (formerly Action Fraud), your bank, and 159.

North America

United States

Top scams in the United States and how to report to the FTC, FBI IC3, and your bank.

Oceania

Australia

Common scams in Australia and how to report them to Scamwatch, ReportCyber, and your bank.

Protect your parents, children, and business

Conversation scripts, checklists, and warning signs to help families intervene early — without shaming the victim.

Family Safety Hub

Scam scripts people are receiving

SMS / text

Fake DHL / Delivery Text Message Scam Examples

This scam text impersonates a courier like DHL, claiming a parcel is stuck because of an unpaid customs charge, redelivery fee, or incomplete address, and includes a link to "resolve" it. The scammer isn't trying to deliver anything — they're after your card number, expiry, CVV, and billing address on a lookalike payment page, plus enough personal detail to commit further fraud. The lever is the small, plausible amount: a tiny fee feels easier to pay than to question. The single most important step is not tapping the link — check tracking directly through the courier's real app or website instead.

Email / chat

Fake Booking / Hotel Message Scam Examples

This message impersonates a hotel or booking platform, warning that a card payment failed or needs "re-verification," sometimes quoting a real reservation date or reference number to look convincing. The scammer wants your full card number, expiry, and CVV, plus any one-time banking code sent to confirm the "update," which lets them make unauthorized charges or drain funds. It works by mixing genuine-looking booking details with manufactured urgency about losing your reservation. The most important step is to never enter payment details through a link in the message — log into the booking platform directly through its official app or site instead.

Phone call

Fake Police Call Scam Script

In this script, a caller claims to be a police officer, telling you that your identity, bank accounts, or a family member's safety is at risk, and that you must move your savings to a "safe" government-held account or hand cash to a courier for "evidence protection." Real police never ask you to transfer money or hand over cash to verify your identity. The scammer relies on the authority of a badge and manufactured urgency to short-circuit your caution, often keeping you on the phone so you can't call anyone to check. The most important step is to hang up and call your local police department directly using a number you look up yourself.

Fake Crypto Investment WhatsApp Script

This script starts with a friendly stranger or "mentor" on WhatsApp who shares screenshots of trading profits and offers to teach you their strategy, gradually building trust before introducing a trading platform they control. The scammer's real goal is to get you depositing real money into a fake dashboard that shows invented gains, then to demand escalating "tax," "fee," or "unlocking" payments before you're ever allowed to withdraw. The lever is manufactured trust and greed built slowly over days or weeks, so the eventual money requests feel like a natural next step. The most important step is to never deposit funds into a platform introduced by someone you only know online.

Recovery playbooks