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Online scam guides

Every guide below breaks down one specific scam: how it works step by step, the warning signs that give it away, and where to report it if you've been targeted. Each is built from primary sources and carries its own last-verified date.

Job & income fraud

Fake work, pay-to-earn, and commission traps
Job fraud Active
The task-app job scam
A text offers easy online work - rating apps, liking videos, "product boosting." The job is fake, and any money you deposit to unlock your earnings never comes back.
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Job fraud Active
The reshipping job scam
A work-from-home "package inspector" role sends stolen goods to your home for you to reship. The pay never comes. The shipping records lead investigators to your address.
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Fake check Active
The mystery shopper scam
A "secret shopper" job mails you a check to deposit, then tells you to wire most of it back or buy gift cards. The check is fake, and the money you send is your own.
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Phishing & impersonation

Fake texts, calls, and pages posing as someone you trust
Smishing Active
The fake delivery text scam
A text about a failed delivery or a held package asks for a small redelivery fee. It's smishing - posing as USPS, UPS, FedEx, or DHL to grab your card details.
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Smishing Active
The unpaid toll text scam
A text says you owe a small unpaid toll, with a link to pay now. The toll is invented; the link harvests your card and personal details.
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Phishing Active
The QR code (quishing) scam
A QR code on a parking meter, a package, or a text sends you to a payment or login page. Scanning hands your details to a site you can't vet.
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Impersonation Active
The fake renewal invoice scam
An emailed invoice for a Geek Squad, Norton, or PayPal subscription you never bought lists a number to "cancel." Call it and the fake-refund con begins.
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Bank impersonation Active
The bank impersonation scam
A caller claims to be your bank's fraud team and tells you to "protect" your money by moving it or sending it to yourself on Zelle. The account isn't safe - it's theirs.
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Tech support Active
The tech-support pop-up scam
A pop-up warns your computer is infected and to call a number. The warning is staged to get you on the phone, into remote access, and paying for fake fixes.
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Impersonation Active
The family emergency scam
A call says a loved one is in jail or in an accident and needs money now - increasingly with an AI-cloned voice. The panic is the point.
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Phishing Active
The account suspension phishing scam
A text or email says your Apple, Amazon, Netflix, or PayPal account is locked and you must "verify now." The link goes to a copycat login page built to steal your password and card.
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Account takeover Active
The social media account hijack scam
A friend's account sends you a voting link, a crypto tip, or a request for a code. The account is real, but it's been hijacked - and the scam jumps to your contacts next.
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Phishing Active
The travel booking payment scam
A message through your hotel's booking platform warns of a payment problem and threatens cancellation. It uses your real booking details - because the hotel's account was compromised.
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Investment & crypto

Fake returns, "pig butchering," and recovery cons
Investment fraud Active
The pig-butchering crypto scam
A stranger builds a friendship or romance, then steers you into a "can't-lose" crypto platform. The balance looks real until you try to withdraw.
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Investment fraud Active
The fake investment platform scam
Ads, Telegram signal groups, and celebrity-endorsed platforms promise guaranteed returns. You can watch your balance grow in the dashboard. You cannot withdraw it - every attempt triggers new fees.
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Investment fraud Active
The wrong-number text scam
A stranger texts the "wrong number," stays friendly, and slowly steers the chat toward a crypto investment. The mistake was the opening move.
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Recovery scam Active
The money-recovery scam
After a loss, someone promises to recover your money for an upfront fee. It's a second scam aimed squarely at people who've already been hit.
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Romance & relationship fraud

Fake relationships, emotional manipulation, and direct money requests
Romance fraud Active
The romance scam
An online relationship builds over weeks or months - then a crisis arrives and they need money. They're always abroad, can never meet, and there's always one more reason. The feelings were real. The person wasn't.
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Shopping & marketplace

Fake listings, sellers, and buyer tricks
Marketplace fraud Active
The marketplace seller scam
A buyer asks for a verification code, overpays, or sends a fake payment screenshot. Each move is a known trick to take your item, money, or account.
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Rental fraud Active
The fake rental listing scam
A rental priced below market, a landlord who can't meet, a deposit by Zelle before a viewing. The listing is bait and the deposit is gone.
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Prizes, debts & payment demands

Made-up winnings, fake debts, and untraceable payment
Prize fraud Active
The prize & sweepstakes scam
A call or message says you won a lottery or sweepstakes you never entered - but you must pay a fee or tax first. Real prizes never work that way.
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Debt collection Active
The phantom debt collection scam
A "collector" demands payment for a debt you don't owe and threatens arrest or garnishment. Knowing your rights is what breaks the bluff.
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Payment fraud Active
The gift card payment scam
Anyone who tells you to pay a bill, fine, or fee in gift cards is scamming you - the cards are untraceable, and that's the whole point.
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Debt fraud Active
The debt relief scam
A company promises to cut your debt or unlock student loan forgiveness for an upfront fee. Under federal law, that fee is illegal before results are delivered - and the results never come.
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Advance-fee fraud Active
The inheritance and advance-fee scam
An email says a relative died abroad and you're the heir - but you must pay fees first. Also known as 419 fraud or Nigerian prince scam. The inheritance doesn't exist; only the fees do.
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Threats & extortion

Blackmail, fear, and demands for payment
Extortion Active
The sextortion email scam
An email claims a hacker recorded you on your webcam and wants Bitcoin. It's almost always an empty threat built on a leaked password - but a more serious version, targeting teens, involves real images.
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Charity & donation fraud

Fake nonprofits, disaster-relief scams, and false appeals
Charity fraud Active
The fake charity scam
After a disaster, fake charities appear within hours using names close to real ones. Gift cards, wire transfers, and urgency are the tells. Any charity can be verified in 60 seconds.
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