Focused Scam Guides
Page 41 of 42.
Fake Dental Vision Plan Scam on Facebook
Ads and group posts on Facebook promote discount dental and vision 'insurance' plans that collect a monthly fee while providing little or no real coverage.
PlatformMeter Tampering Fine Scam via Phone Calls
Callers posing as utility company investigators accuse a household of meter tampering or energy theft and demand immediate payment of a fine to avoid disconnection or prosecution.
PlatformFake Heat Pump Grant Scam on Facebook
Facebook ads and community group posts advertise government heat pump grants that require an upfront 'processing fee' or personal financial details to claim.
PlatformUtility Autopay Enrollment Scam via Email
Phishing emails disguised as utility company notices push recipients to 'update' or 'enroll in' autopay, harvesting bank and card details on a fake billing portal.
PlatformFake EV Home Charger Grant Scam on Facebook
Facebook ads target new electric vehicle owners with fake government or utility grants for home chargers, collecting fees or financial details for installations that never happen.
PaymentFake Parking Fine QR Scam via QR Codes
Fraudulent QR code stickers placed on parking fine notices or meters redirect drivers to a fake payment page designed to steal card details.
PlatformEV Charging App Phishing Scam via QR Codes
Fake QR codes stuck onto public EV charging stations redirect drivers to a lookalike charging app or payment page that harvests card details.
PlatformFake Car Auction Deposit Scam on Facebook Marketplace
Listings on Facebook Marketplace advertise vehicles supposedly available through a government or repossession auction, demanding a deposit to 'secure' a bid on a car that does not exist.
PlatformNumber Plate Cloning Fine Scam via Email
Fraudulent emails claiming to be from a toll authority or parking enforcement bill drivers for offenses committed by a vehicle with a cloned copy of their number plate.
PlatformFake DVLA Vehicle Tax Refund Scam via SMS
Text messages impersonating the DVLA tell UK vehicle owners they are due a road tax refund and must follow a link to enter bank details to claim it.
PlatformCloned Company Website Scams Sent by Email
How phishing emails drive victims to pixel-perfect clones of real company websites built to steal payment details, login credentials, or fake support fees.
PlatformAI-Generated Fake News Scams on Facebook
How AI-fabricated 'breaking news' articles and deepfake video clips spread through Facebook posts and ads to lend false credibility to investment and health scams.
PaymentFake AI Legal or Tax Advice Scams Paid by Credit Card
Bogus 'AI advisor' services charge a credit card for legal or tax guidance that is wrong, harmful, or a front for harvesting sensitive financial data.
PaymentAI Virtual Kidnapping Scams Paid With Gift Cards
Scammers use AI voice cloning to fake a loved one's panicked call, then keep the victim on the phone while pressuring them to buy gift cards as a fast, untraceable ransom.
PlatformAI-Generated Fake Store Scams on Instagram
AI tools let scammers spin up entire fake online stores, complete with product photos, glowing reviews, and policy pages, then promote them through Instagram ads and posts to collect payment for goods that never ship.
PaymentAI Companion and Grief Bot Scams Paid by Credit Card
Fraudulent AI 'companion' or grief-bot services simulate a deceased loved one or a devoted long-term partner to keep vulnerable users paying recurring credit card subscriptions.
PlatformAI-Generated Fake Charity Appeal Scams on TikTok
AI-fabricated disaster footage and cloned charity branding spread through TikTok videos to divert well-meaning donations to fraudulent accounts.
CountryFake Childcare Subsidy Scams in the United Kingdom
In the UK, scammers posing as Tax-Free Childcare or local authority childcare subsidy administrators tell parents a release or registration fee must be paid before approved funding is paid out.
CountryDisability Parking Permit Fee Scams in the United States
Fake websites and callers charge inflated processing or expedite fees for a disability parking placard that state DMVs issue for free or a small regulated fee.
PaymentFake Cremation and Repatriation Fee Scams via Wire Transfer
How scammers posing as an employer, recruitment agency, or 'cremation liaison' pressure grieving families to wire urgent fees before a loved one's remains can supposedly be cremated or sent home.
PaymentDeceased Estate Account Takeover Scams via Bank Transfer
How scammers exploit the gap between a death and a bank being notified to move money out of the deceased's real accounts by bank transfer before the family can secure them.
PlatformFake Business Partnership Scams via Email
How scammers use unsolicited emails offering distribution deals or joint ventures to extract upfront fees, free stock, or sensitive business data from small business owners.
PlatformFake Legal Threat Scams via SMS
How scammers send text messages posing as lawyers, debt collectors, or court officials, threatening legal action to pressure businesses and individuals into paying or clicking a malicious link.
BrandFake Business Listing Update Scams Impersonating Google Business Profile
Scammers pose as representatives of Google's business listing service, charging small business owners to 'update' or 'verify' a profile that is actually free to manage directly.
PlatformFake Office Supplies Invoice Scams via Email
How scammers email realistic-looking invoices for office supplies or services that were never ordered, hoping a busy accounts payable department pays without checking.
PlatformFake Brand Deal Platform Scams on Instagram
How fraudulent creator-brand marketplaces recruit influencers through Instagram DMs and ads, charging an upfront fee for sponsorship access that never materializes.
PlatformCreator Payout Tax Form Phishing Scams via Email
How fake emails styled as a platform's tax compliance notice pressure creators into submitting Social Security numbers and banking details on a phishing page.
CountryEducation Debt Relief Scams in the United States
How fraudulent companies target US borrowers with private student debt, charging upfront fees to 'settle' or 'manage' balances using services that are often free or unnecessary.
CountryStudent Loan Forgiveness Advance-Fee Scams in the United States
How companies charge US federal student loan borrowers large upfront fees for 'guaranteed' loan cancellation that the government provides directly, free of charge.
PlatformFake Scholarship Application Fee Scams on Facebook
How fake scholarship programs advertise through Facebook posts and groups, charging students an application or processing fee for awards that were never real.
PaymentFake Diploma and Certificate Mill Scams via Credit Card
How diploma mills sell worthless academic or professional credentials for an instant credit card payment, delivering a certificate with no real coursework or accreditation behind it.
PlatformFake Online Course and Bootcamp Scams on TikTok
How fraudulent coding bootcamps and skill courses use TikTok testimonials and ads to sell expensive tuition for training that is never properly delivered.
PlatformExam and Certification Bribery Scams on Telegram
How scammers use Telegram channels to pose as exam insiders offering guaranteed pass results for professional or academic tests, taking payment and delivering nothing.
PaymentInternational Student Tuition Deposit Scams via Wire Transfer
How scammers impersonating universities or education agents intercept large international tuition deposits sent by wire transfer, leaving students without a place or their money.
PlatformWebcam Blackmail / Sextortion Email Scam via Email
How mass-spam sextortion emails falsely claim to have hacked your webcam and recorded you, then pressure you to pay before the fake footage is 'released'.
PlatformIntimate Image Blackmail Scam on Snapchat
How genuine intimate photos or videos shared privately on Snapchat get saved outside the app and are then used to blackmail the victim.
PaymentRansom DDoS Extortion Scam via Cryptocurrency
How criminals threaten businesses with a distributed denial-of-service attack unless a cryptocurrency ransom is paid, often without ever launching a real attack.
PlatformDoxxing Extortion Scam on Telegram
How extortionists use Telegram's anonymity and disappearing-message tools to threaten victims with the publication of private personal information unless a ransom is paid.
PlatformFake Review Removal Extortion Scam on Facebook
How scammers flood a business's Facebook Page with fake negative reviews and recommendations, then demand payment to stop or remove them.
PlatformHitman Email Extortion Scam via Email
How mass-mailed emails falsely claiming to be from a hired assassin threaten the recipient's life unless a cryptocurrency payment is made to call off the fabricated hit.
PaymentBomb Threat Extortion Scam via Cryptocurrency
How mass-distributed bomb threat emails demand cryptocurrency payment within hours to prevent a fabricated explosion, forcing evacuations before anyone can verify the claim.
PaymentData Breach Ransom Extortion Scam via Cryptocurrency
How criminals claim to hold stolen organisational or personal data and demand a cryptocurrency ransom to prevent it from being published or sold.
PlatformFake Copyright Takedown Extortion Scam on Instagram
How scammers send fake copyright infringement notices threatening to have an Instagram account or content removed unless a settlement fee is paid to a fraudulent entity.
PlatformDeepfake Nude Extortion Scam on WhatsApp
How scammers use AI to generate fake intimate images from a victim's real photos and threaten to distribute them via WhatsApp unless money is paid.
PaymentRecorded Call Debt Extortion Scam via Gift Cards
How fake debt collectors claim to have a recorded call proving a debt or contract exists and pressure victims to 'settle' immediately using gift cards.
PlatformSocial Media Account Ransom Scam on Facebook
How scammers who compromise or convincingly claim to control a Facebook account or Page demand payment to return access, threatening deletion or exposure otherwise.
PlatformGift Card Blackmail Scam via SMS
How scammers deliver blackmail and extortion threats by text message, then insist the victim pay specifically in gift cards and read the codes back over SMS.
PaymentFake Law Enforcement Leak Threat Scam via Wire Transfer
How scammers impersonate police or federal agents, claim to have evidence of a crime, and pressure victims to wire money to a 'safe' or bail-related account to avoid arrest and exposure.
PlatformFake Online Sermon Donation Skim Scam on YouTube
How bot and impersonation accounts flood a church's live-streamed YouTube sermon chat with fake 'official' donation links, diverting giving away from the real broadcast.
PaymentReligious Artifact Authentication Fee Scam via PayPal
How fraudulent appraisal services charge an upfront PayPal fee to authenticate a religious item, then deliver a fabricated verdict or never return the item at all.
CountryBuy Now Pay Later Fraud in the United Kingdom
How fraudsters exploit UK buy now pay later services to make purchases using stolen identity data, leaving victims liable for unfamiliar debt.
CountryFake Debt Consolidation Scam in the United States
How fraudulent debt consolidation companies in the US charge large upfront fees, collect sensitive financial data, then disappear, leaving victims deeper in debt.
CountryReverse Mortgage Scams in the United States
How fraudsters target older US homeowners with fake or misrepresented Home Equity Conversion Mortgage products, collecting fees or steering victims into terms that risk their home.
CountryHELOC and Home Equity Line Fraud in the United States
How criminals apply for home equity lines of credit using stolen US homeowner identities, or pose as lenders collecting fees for HELOC products that never materialise.
CountryMTIC VAT Carousel Fraud in the United Kingdom
How organised criminal networks exploit the UK's VAT system by rapidly cycling goods through multiple businesses to claim VAT refunds that were never actually paid.
PlatformAffinity Fraud Scam on WhatsApp
How scammers infiltrate close-knit religious, ethnic, or professional WhatsApp groups and exploit the trust members share to sell fraudulent investments.
PaymentHigh-Yield Investment Program (HYIP) Scam via Cryptocurrency
How HYIPs promise extraordinary daily or weekly returns through vague trading strategies and collect deposits almost exclusively in cryptocurrency before collapsing as a Ponzi scheme.
PaymentPrime Bank Guarantee Scam via Wire Transfer
How fraudsters claim access to secret 'prime bank' instruments traded by top banks and use wire transfers to collect large upfront fees for financial products that don't exist.
CountryInvestment Seminar / Free Lunch Scams in the United States
How free-lunch investment seminars advertised to U.S. retirees turn into high-pressure sales pitches for unsuitable annuities and financial products.
PlatformSports Betting Tipster Scams on Telegram
How paid Telegram tipster channels sell fabricated 'insider' sports picks and doctored winning screenshots to collect ongoing subscription fees.
PlatformMatched Betting / Arbitrage Scams on Facebook
How Facebook groups and ads sell fake matched-betting software and arbitrage alert services that fail to deliver, steal credentials, or expose members to money-laundering risk.
PlatformGet-Rich-Quick Course Scams on Instagram
How Instagram influencers use curated lifestyle content and DM funnels to sell overpriced trading, dropshipping, or 'passive income' courses that deliver little of value.
PaymentGold IRA / Precious Metals Rollover Scams via Wire Transfer
How precious metals dealers use urgency around wire transfers to push retirement savers into overpriced gold and silver purchases with excessive fees and poor storage terms.
PaymentPromissory Note Fraud Scams via Cashier's Checks
How fraudsters selling fake short-term promissory notes ask victims to pay by cashier's check, lending an appearance of legitimacy to an investment that does not exist.
PlatformKYC Update / Account Suspension Scams on Email
How phishing emails impersonating banks or crypto exchanges use fake 'KYC verification required' warnings to steal login credentials and personal identification documents.
PlatformPredatory Loan App Harassment Scams on WhatsApp
How unregulated loan apps harvest a borrower's phone contacts and use WhatsApp to send harassing, shaming messages to family and friends to pressure repayment.
PaymentDividend Recovery / Advance Fee Scams via Bank Transfer
How fraudsters posing as fund recovery agents ask investors to send an upfront bank transfer to 'release' dividends or losses from a collapsed company — a fee that is itself the entire scam.
CountrySpread Betting Margin Call Scams in the United Kingdom
How unregulated or dishonest leveraged spread betting platforms operating in the UK manufacture sudden margin calls and block withdrawals to extract extra 'top-up' payments from clients.
CountryFixed Odds Terminal Rigging Scams in the United Kingdom
How unlicensed gaming venues and tampered betting terminals in the UK manipulate outcomes or invoke fake 'malfunction' clauses to deny players legitimate winnings.
PlatformDigital Arrest Video Call Scams on Skype
How scammers impersonating police officers use staged Skype video calls, complete with fake uniforms and backdrops, to convince victims they are under a fictitious 'digital arrest' and must pay immediately.
BrandFake CBI Police Interrogation Scam
Fraudsters impersonate the Central Bureau of Investigation and other elite law-enforcement agencies to stage fake 'interrogations' that pressure victims into paying bribes or handing over personal data.
BrandFake Social Security Administration Suspension Call Scam
Scammers impersonate the Social Security Administration, falsely claiming a victim's Social Security Number has been suspended over suspicious activity, to extract payment or personal information.
PlatformFake Traffic Camera Fine Scams on SMS
How text messages claiming a speed or red-light camera caught your vehicle direct recipients to fraudulent payment portals that steal card details.
BrandFake Medicare Card Activation Scam
Scammers impersonate Medicare, telling beneficiaries their new card or updated plan requires immediate activation, in order to steal Medicare numbers, personal data, and payment information.
CountryFake Passport Seizure Threat Scams in Australia
How scammers impersonating Australian immigration or customs officials threaten visa holders and international students with passport seizure and deportation to extort payment.
CountryFake Tax Refund OTP Verification Scams in India
How scammers in India impersonate Income Tax Department staff, claiming an unclaimed refund is ready, then use a shared one-time password to authorize unauthorized bank transactions.
BrandFake Interpol Red Notice Scam
Criminals impersonate Interpol, claiming a victim is the subject of an international Red Notice for serious crimes, in order to extort payment or personal information to have it 'withdrawn'.
CountryFake Pension Reverification Scams in Canada
How scammers impersonate Service Canada or CPP/OAS administrators, claiming pension recipients must reverify their identity, in order to steal Social Insurance Numbers and banking details.
CountryFake Conscription / Military Call-Up Scams in Ukraine
How scammers exploit wartime mobilization fears in Ukraine, sending fake military summons or draft-related notices demanding payment for exemption, medical assessment, or replacement fees.
PaymentFake Mental Health App Scams via Credit Card Billing
How apps claiming to offer professional therapy or mental health support use free-trial sign-ups to set up hidden, hard-to-cancel recurring credit card charges.
PaymentDriveway Paving & Sealcoating Scams via Cash Payment
How traveling paving crews insist on cash payment upfront for driveway sealcoating or resurfacing, then use leftover or substandard materials and disappear without a written contract.
CountryStorm Chaser Roofing Scams in the United States
How traveling roofing crews descend on U.S. hail-affected neighborhoods after severe storms, pressuring homeowners into deposits or inflated insurance claims before disappearing.
PlatformFake Locksmith Overcharge Scam on Google Search & Ads
How rock-bottom locksmith listings and paid ads on Google lure locked-out homeowners into calling a dispatch center that sends a technician who drills the lock unnecessarily and demands a bill many times the advertised price.
PaymentHandyman Disappearing Deposit Scam via Bank Transfer
How handymen and general contractors ask for a large upfront bank transfer to secure materials or a start date, then fail to appear, do minimal work, or vanish entirely with the funds.
PaymentGutter Cleaning Doorstep Scam via Cash
How door-to-door gutter cleaning crews demand an on-the-spot cash payment for work that takes only minutes and is often barely, or never, actually completed.
PlatformPressure Washing Doorstep Scam
How unsolicited door-to-door pressure washing offers use a low upfront price to secure quick payment, then deliver a rushed job with weak equipment that leaves surfaces dirty or damaged.
PlatformPest Control Scare Scam
How door-to-door pest control salespeople fabricate or exaggerate an infestation and use alarming language to pressure homeowners into an expensive contract for minimal or useless treatment.
PlatformHVAC Scare & Overcharge Scam via Phone Calls
How cold calls and robocalls offering a free or low-cost furnace or air conditioner inspection lead to a technician visit built around fabricated safety claims and pressure to buy expensive, unnecessary repairs.
PlatformChimney & Duct Cleaning Scam
How door-to-door and coupon-based chimney or duct cleaning offers use a low advertised fee to get in the door, then cite fabricated safety violations or buildup to demand a much higher price for little or no actual cleaning.
PaymentFake Arborist Tree Service Scam via Bank Transfer
How workers posing as tree care professionals collect a large upfront bank transfer for urgent tree removal or trimming, then deliver poor work, damage the property, or disappear entirely.
PlatformWater Treatment Doorstep Scam
How door-to-door sales agents run a dramatic tap water demonstration, exaggerate health risks, and pressure homeowners into an expensive water filtration system they may not actually need.
PlatformFake Home Security Alarm Scam
How aggressive door-to-door security sales agents misrepresent alarm products, forge or misuse credit checks, and use deceptive contract terms to lock homeowners into overpriced, multi-year agreements for a system that may not even work properly.
CountryFake Energy Audit Upsell Scam in the United Kingdom
How salespeople posing as energy auditors exploit UK home energy efficiency grant schemes, fabricating assessment findings to pressure homeowners into expensive, sometimes unnecessary insulation or heating upgrades.
PlatformGarage Door Repair Overcharge Scam on Google Search & Ads
How search ads and listings advertising a low garage door service call fee lead to technicians who diagnose minor or nonexistent problems as requiring expensive part replacements.
CountryFake Mold & Asbestos Remediation Scam in the United States
How contractors in the US fabricate or greatly exaggerate mold or asbestos findings during a home inspection to sell expensive remediation services that are unnecessary, inadequate, or both.
PlatformFake Meter Upgrade Doorstep Scam
How imposters posing as utility company representatives arrive to inspect or upgrade an electricity or gas meter, using the pretext to gain access to the home for theft, identity fraud, or a false electrical work charge.