Scam Alerts
Warnings about active and recurring scam waves. Newest first.
- medium12 October 2026
This week in scams: the tactics circulating right now
A regularly-updated digest of the scam tactics fraud agencies and our own monitoring are seeing most right now — toll and delivery smishing, AI voice-clone and deepfake fraud, “safe account” bank-impersonation calls, and second-wave recovery scams — with links to what each looks like and how to shut it down.
- high9 July 2026· United States
Warning: Scammers impersonate property owners to sell homes and vacant land
Fraudsters are posing as the owners of vacant land or unoccupied homes, listing the property for sale or rent using stolen identity details, and pocketing a buyer's or renter's deposit for property they don't own.
- high9 July 2026· Global
Warning: Spoofed FIFA and World Cup 2026 ticket and merchandise sites
Fake websites imitating FIFA's official pages are selling counterfeit World Cup 2026 tickets, hotel packages, and merchandise, and phishing for payment details from eager fans.
- high9 July 2026· Global
Warning: Phishing kits hijacking Microsoft 365 login sessions to bypass MFA
A phishing-as-a-service kit is being used to steal active Microsoft 365 login sessions, letting attackers bypass multi-factor authentication entirely and take over business email accounts.
- high8 July 2026· United States
Warning: Scammers send couriers to collect cash in person for "crypto investment"
Instead of asking for a wire or gift cards, some investment scammers now send a courier to a victim's home to physically collect cash, framing it as funding a crypto investment account.
- high8 July 2026· United States
Warning: Fraudulent hospice enrollment schemes targeting Medicare recipients
Fraudsters are enrolling Medicare beneficiaries who are not terminally ill into hospice care without their knowledge, using stolen identity and provider information to bill Medicare for services never needed or received.
- medium8 July 2026· Global (heavy in US/Canada)
Warning: "Subscription trap" schemes make free trials nearly impossible to cancel
Regulators are cracking down on networks of websites that lure people in with a free trial or one-time purchase, then enroll them in recurring charges that are deliberately difficult to cancel.
- medium7 July 2026· Canada
Warning: Fraudsters impersonating the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre itself
Scammers are posing as Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre representatives, claiming to be investigating a past fraud or offering to help recover lost money, then asking for personal and financial information.
- medium7 July 2026· Australia
Warning: Fake recruiters impersonating real companies to run job scams
Scammers are posing as recruiters for well-known, real companies to offer fake job interviews and positions, aiming to extract personal information, upfront fees, or banking details from job seekers.
- high6 July 2026· United States
Warning: Fake “missed jury duty” arrest-threat calls
Calls claiming you missed jury duty and face arrest unless you pay a fine immediately are circulating, often followed by official-looking “warrant” texts or emails.
- medium3 July 2026· United States
Warning: Fake-check scams targeting childcare providers
A message from a stranger urgently needing childcare sends a check for more than the agreed amount and asks the provider to wire back the difference before the check bounces.
- medium30 June 2026· Australia
Warning: Fraudulent personal loan websites
Fake lending websites advertise fast, low-documentation personal loans, then demand upfront “fees” or sensitive ID documents before any funds are released — which never arrive.
- high27 June 2026· Global (heavy in Australia)
Warning: Fake crypto trading platforms pushed in “stock tip” chat groups
People added to “share trading” or “stock tips” messaging groups are being steered toward fake crypto trading platforms that show fabricated profits but block withdrawals.
- medium24 June 2026· United States
Warning: “You're invited” party e-vite phishing
Unexpected “You're invited” texts and emails around graduation and summer party season ask you to enter your email address and password to view the invitation — it's a phishing page.
- medium20 June 2026· Global
Warning: Food delivery platform impersonation scams
Scammers are impersonating food delivery apps, restaurants, customers and delivery drivers to trick people out of money, orders, or account access on multiple sides of the transaction.
- medium17 June 2026· Global
Seasonal warning: Summer travel-booking scams
As summer travel bookings pick up, fake deals on flights, hotels and rentals are circulating on social media and search ads, taking payment for trips that don't exist.
- medium13 June 2026· Global
Warning: AI-manipulated pet and puppy sale scams
Sellers of pets and puppies that don't exist are using stolen and AI-manipulated photos and videos, including deepfakes, to convince buyers to send a deposit before the animal ever arrives.
- medium9 June 2026· Global
Warning: Business-coaching and trading “training” scams
Ads promising that a paid coaching or training program will teach you to build a thriving business or trade crypto, forex, or precious metals for big profits often lead to high-pressure upsells and little real training.
- high5 June 2026· Global
Warning: Account takeover scams via SIM swap and mobile fraud
Scammers are hijacking mobile phone numbers through SIM swaps and porting fraud to intercept one-time codes, then taking over banking, email and social media accounts.
- high30 May 2026· Global
Warning: Fake 'verify you are human' pages spreading malware
Websites and pop-ups are displaying fake CAPTCHA-style 'verify you are human' prompts that trick users into pasting a command that silently installs malware.
- high28 May 2026· Global (heavy in US, UK, Australia)
Warning: “Unpaid toll” text smishing is surging
Texts claiming you owe a small unpaid road toll and must pay via a link are circulating widely. The link leads to a card-harvesting phishing page.
- medium20 May 2026· Global
Warning: Malicious QR codes ('quishing') in emails and on stickers
Scammers are placing fake QR codes in emails, on posters, and over legitimate stickers in public places to redirect people to phishing or payment-harvesting sites.
- high15 May 2026· Global
Warning: AI voice-clone “family emergency” calls
Scammers are cloning relatives' voices from short clips to make urgent “I'm in trouble, send money” calls sound real.
- medium12 May 2026· Global (especially popular tourist destinations)
Seasonal warning: Fake holiday rental listings spike before summer
As summer approaches, fraudulent holiday rental listings appear on booking platforms, social media, and copycat sites, collecting deposits for properties that do not exist or are not for rent.
- high6 May 2026· Global
Warning: “Easy task” job scams via WhatsApp and Telegram
Unsolicited messages offering well-paid online “tasks” lead to a deposit trap where a fake dashboard shows earnings you can never withdraw.
- medium30 April 2026· Global (peaks at university intake periods)
Seasonal warning: Student loan, scholarship and accommodation scams at term start
As a new academic year approaches, scams targeting students rise — including fake scholarships requiring fees, phishing for student loan credentials, and fraudulent accommodation listings.
- high24 April 2026· Global
Warning: “Crypto recovery” services targeting scam victims
People who have lost money to scams are being approached by “recovery experts” who promise to get it back for an upfront fee. It's a second scam.
- high15 April 2026· Global
Warning: Fake 'bank refund' smishing texts harvesting account details
Texts claiming you are owed a bank refund or overpayment are circulating widely, directing recipients to fake banking pages designed to steal credentials and card details.
- high10 April 2026· Global
Warning: “Wrong number” texts that lead to investment scams
A friendly “wrong number” text can be the opening move of a pig-butchering scam that grooms you toward a fake crypto platform.
- high28 March 2026· Global (businesses of all sizes)
Warning: Deepfake CEO and executive video calls authorising fraudulent transfers
Finance staff are being targeted by video calls featuring convincing deepfake impersonations of their CEO or CFO, instructing them to authorise urgent fund transfers.
- high20 March 2026· Global (peaks around national tax deadlines)
Seasonal warning: Tax-authority impersonation scams
Around tax deadlines, calls, texts and emails impersonating the tax office spike — demanding urgent payment or “refund” bank details.
- medium25 February 2026· Global
Warning: Fake charity appeals surge after disasters and crises
After any high-profile disaster, emergency, or humanitarian crisis, fraudulent donation appeals appear rapidly online and by text, diverting funds away from genuine relief efforts.
- medium12 February 2026· Global
Seasonal warning: Fake delivery texts rise around the holidays
When more parcels are moving, courier-impersonation “missed delivery / pay a fee” texts spike, linking to card-harvesting pages.
- high30 January 2026· Global
Warning: Any request to pay by gift card is a scam
Across tax, tech-support, romance and prize scams, scammers keep demanding payment in gift cards because the codes are untraceable and irreversible.
- high15 January 2026· Global
Warning: “Move your money to a safe account” bank-impersonation calls
Callers posing as your bank or the police claim your account is compromised and pressure you to move money to a “safe account” they control.
- high18 December 2025· Global
Warning: Deepfake celebrity “investment” ads on social media
AI-generated videos of public figures “endorsing” investment platforms or crypto giveaways are being used to lure people into fraud.
- medium5 December 2025· Global
Warning: Marketplace 'overpayment' cheque scam targeting sellers
Sellers on online marketplaces receive a cheque or bank transfer for more than the asking price; the buyer asks for the difference back before the payment bounces.