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How fraudsters call elderly victims pretending to be a grandchild in urgent trouble, using shame, urgency, and often a second caller posing as a lawyer or police officer to extract cash before the family can verify anything.
PaymentHow fraudsters claiming a family member is in immediate danger or financial crisis push victims to send a wire transfer, relying on the speed and difficulty of reversing wired funds before the story can be checked.
PaymentHow an urgent message impersonating a manager or executive asks an employee to buy gift cards on the company's behalf and send back the redemption codes, which are then cashed out instantly and untraceably.
PlatformHow a text message impersonating a company's CEO pressures an employee into an urgent, confidential wire transfer or sensitive action, exploiting corporate authority and the informal, immediate feel of SMS.
PaymentHow a caller impersonating your bank's fraud department convinces you your account is compromised and talks you through moving money by bank transfer into a so-called 'safe account' that actually belongs to the scammer.
PaymentHow a caller falsely claims a family member has been arrested and directs the victim to send bail money through Western Union, exploiting the service's speed and cash-pickup design to collect funds anonymously.
PaymentHow a caller falsely claims a family member has been seriously injured and needs money sent immediately via MoneyGram to cover fabricated medical treatment or transport costs.
PaymentHow a caller falsely claims to have kidnapped a family member and demands an immediate cryptocurrency ransom, exploiting crypto's speed and irreversibility to collect payment before the hoax can be uncovered.
PaymentHow a caller posing as a lawyer claims a family member has been arrested and requests an urgent cashier's check for legal fees or bail assistance, exploiting the appearance of certified funds to seem legitimate.
PaymentHow a message or call claims a traveling family member has been robbed or lost their documents overseas and needs emergency funds wired immediately, relying on the difficulty of quickly verifying details across borders.
PaymentHow scammers posing as embassy or consular staff push panicked relatives toward an urgent wire transfer to 'free' a detained family member.
CountryHow US robocallers spoof local area codes and prefixes to make scam calls look like they're coming from a neighbor down the street.
PlatformHow scammers message on WhatsApp pretending to be a friend or family member texting from a 'new number,' then ask for urgent money.
PaymentHow scammers posing as utility company representatives threaten disconnection unless a victim pays an 'overdue bill' with gift cards.
CountryHow fraudulent health insurance policies are marketed to US consumers during open enrollment, promising full coverage that never actually pays out.
CountryHow unregulated or fraudulent life insurance offers target UK consumers with premiums collected for policies that will never pay out.
PaymentHow fraudsters posing as insurers or claims handlers demand upfront bank transfers to 'release' a fast settlement that never arrives.
CountryHow bogus or unregulated travel medical insurance is sold to Australian travellers heading overseas, leaving them exposed to unpaid medical bills.
PaymentHow unsolicited renewal calls pressure victims into reading out their credit card number for a warranty or policy they don't actually need.
PlatformHow fraudulent pet insurance offers spread through Facebook ads and groups, collecting premiums for cover that later denies every claim.
CountryHow scammers target US flood, fire, and storm victims posing as insurers, adjusters, or FEMA-linked contractors after a declared disaster.
PlatformHow unsolicited emails promote unregulated 'health benefit' memberships that look like insurance but carry no obligation to pay claims.
PlatformHow text messages warning that a warranty is about to expire trick recipients into paying for worthless extended cover.
PaymentHow fraudulent travel insurance sellers use PayPal payment links to collect premiums for policies with no real cover behind them.
PlatformHow fraudulent pet insurance policies are promoted through Instagram ads and influencer posts, collecting premiums that deny every claim.
CountryHow fraudulent agents target US farmers with fake crop insurance policies or exclusion-riddled coverage that never pays out after a bad season.
CountryHow rogue UK brokers collect insurance premiums from clients but never pass them to the insurer, leaving policyholders unknowingly uninsured.
PaymentHow fraudsters charge an upfront bank transfer to 'resubmit' or 'escalate' an insurance or benefits claim, then disappear.
PaymentHow scammers pose as advertising companies offering to pay drivers for car wraps, then have them forward MoneyGram funds to a fake 'installer.'
PlatformHow TikTok videos and ads promote survey and paid-panel sites promising easy income that never actually pays out.
PlatformHow Telegram groups and channels promote get-paid-to-click apps that harvest data and ad revenue but never actually pay users.
PaymentHow fraudulent 'clients' overpay freelancers through Zelle, then request a refund of the surplus before the original payment reverses as fraudulent.
PlatformHow fake content agencies post writing jobs on LinkedIn, then charge applicants a registration or training fee before any work begins.
PlatformHow fraudulent proofreading employers recruit by email and charge new hires for certification or training that leads to no actual work.
PlatformInstagram ads and DMs invite users to become 'paid product testers,' then collect a shipping fee or card details and either deliver nothing or enroll victims in unwanted charges.
PlatformUnsolicited emails offering flexible, home-based transcription work lead applicants to pay for 'training' or 'certification' materials before any real job ever appears.
PlatformFacebook groups and pages advertise 'search and social media quality evaluator' roles that impersonate legitimate rating programs, then charge fake fees or harvest identity documents.
PaymentFraudulent translation agencies recruit linguists with attractive per-word rates, then demand a bank transfer for 'certification' or 'software licensing' fees before any paid work is provided.
PlatformFacebook posts and groups promote raffle tickets for supposedly charitable causes, collecting payments for a draw that never happens and a charity that never receives anything.
CountryUK households, especially older residents, are targeted by mailed and phoned prize draw offers using charitable branding to sell tickets while keeping all proceeds for the organizer.
PlatformText-message competitions invite entrants to text a premium-rate number, charging far more per message than disclosed while offering little or no real chance of winning a prize.
CountryPackage theft from doorsteps, commonly called porch piracy in the United States, spikes around the holiday season as delivery volumes rise and thieves follow delivery trucks through residential neighborhoods.
PaymentFraudulent pet insurers collect monthly premiums by bank transfer or direct debit for policies that turn out to provide no real coverage when a claim is filed.
PaymentFake 'your computer is locked' browser pop-ups direct victims to call a bogus support line, where scammers demand payment in gift cards to 'unlock' a device that was never actually locked.
PlatformTikTok ads and videos promote parental monitoring apps that charge ongoing subscription fees, harvest a child's personal data, or install malware while providing little to no real monitoring.
PlatformTelegram channels and groups advertise ready-made phishing kits complete with real-time credential relay and anti-detection tools, letting low-skilled buyers run convincing phishing campaigns against everyday users.
PaymentTicket sellers claim they've already reserved seats under a buyer's name at a venue's will-call window, collecting a PayPal 'friends and family' payment for a reservation that never actually exists.
PlatformFraudulent emails falsely claim a still-happening event has been cancelled, prompting genuine ticket holders to enter their ticket or account login details on a fake refund page.
PaymentSites selling counterfeit vaccination records and travel health clearances often accept cryptocurrency, letting operators collect payment anonymously for documents that can carry legal and health risks.
CountryUnofficial websites impersonate Australia's official Electronic Travel Authority application process, charging inflated fees to submit a form travellers could file directly with the Australian government for a fraction of the cost.
PlatformFraudsters posing as couriers or embassy agents contact travellers on WhatsApp demanding 'customs' or 'release' fees for travel documents supposedly being delivered, then vanish once paid.
PaymentFraudsters threaten to post damaging fake reviews about a hospitality business or traveller unless a bank transfer is sent, or demand payment in exchange for removing already-posted negative content.
CountryFraudulent websites and touts sell bogus fast-track security or immigration passes for major UK airports, charging for a service that is either free through official channels or doesn't exist at all.
PlatformUnsolicited text messages claim the recipient is owed a government or energy supplier rebate, using a link to a fake page designed to steal banking details or account credentials.
PaymentUnscrupulous energy brokers collect commissions and fees via bank transfer or direct debit while failing to secure genuinely competitive deals, or lock businesses into long contracts with hidden charges.
CountryFraudsters impersonate UK regional water companies, offering a supposed overpayment refund that requires bank details or an 'administration fee' to release funds that don't actually exist.
CountryFraudsters pose as UK broadband providers offering a free or discounted router upgrade, using the call or visit to install malware, harvest account credentials, or add hidden charges to a bill.
PlatformFacebook Marketplace and community group listings offer discounted prepayment energy top-up codes that turn out to be stolen, duplicated, or fake, leaving buyers without credit and at risk of further consequences.
PlatformOn Facebook Marketplace, scammers pose as buyers or sellers and steer the deal onto Zelle, using fake "business account upgrade" refund tricks and hold deposits to take instant, near-irreversible payments.
PlatformOn Instagram, fake money-flip and giveaway accounts use lookalike handles, comment replies, and DM funnels to promise multiplied Cash App payouts. You send first through an irreversible transfer, and the flip, prize, or circle never pays.
PlatformScammers buy Google search ads and seed spam pages for "Cash App support" queries so a locked-out or missing-payment user finds a fake helpline number at the top of results, then phones straight into an impostor "agent."
PlatformOn Facebook Marketplace, a 'buyer' pays a seller by Venmo, then claims they accidentally overpaid or double-paid and begs for the difference back. The stolen-funded payment is later reversed, leaving the seller out the refund they sent.
PlatformOn eBay, a seller (or buyer) steers the deal off eBay's managed checkout into a PayPal Friends & Family payment, stripping away both eBay's Money Back Guarantee and PayPal's Purchase Protection at once.
PaymentOn peer-to-peer marketplaces, a scammer claims your Zelle account must be "upgraded to a business account" before their payment can land, then uses spoofed Zelle emails and a refundable "upgrade fee" to steal instant, irreversible transfers.
PlatformA text disguised as a Zelle, Venmo, PayPal, or Cash App alert lands on the same phone that holds your money app, one tap from a spoofed login page or a fake fraud line that harvests your password and one-time code.
CountryIn the U.S., impersonation and tech-support scammers direct victims — often older adults — to withdraw cash and feed it into one of the country's tens of thousands of Bitcoin ATMs, scanning a QR code that sends an instant, irreversible payment to the fraudster.
PlatformOn Telegram, "payment agent" job channels, bot-run onboarding, and unsolicited DMs recruit you to receive stolen money into your bank account and forward it, often converted to crypto, for a commission, making you the traceable launderer.
PaymentScammers phish your card number, then start adding it to Apple Pay on their own iPhone. When your bank's Apple Pay verification code arrives, a fake "fraud team" call pressures you to read it back — enrolling your card on their device.
CountryIn France the Lebanese loop is known as the "collet marseillais": a sleeve hidden in a distributeur's card slot traps your carte bancaire while a helpful bystander memorises your PIN, then extracts the card and withdraws cash once you leave.
CountryA device fitted over a UK cashpoint's dispenser traps your banknotes as they pay out. The slot looks empty, you assume a fault and leave, and the scammer returns to collect — while your account is still debited.
PaymentCriminals relay your contactless card or wallet signal live to a mule tapping at a real reader, exploiting no-PIN limits and tap-and-go speed to run many small purchases while your card stays in your pocket.
PlatformFraudsters aim automated bots at online checkout and payment forms, pushing floods of stolen card numbers through as tiny charges or zero-value authorizations to sort the live cards from the dead ones.
CountryIn the US, SNAP and cash-assistance benefits load onto magnetic-stripe EBT cards with no chip, so skimmers on grocery and ATM readers clone them and drain a household's food and cash benefits, often within hours of the monthly deposit.
CountryIn the US, card-machine tampering centers on pay-at-the-pump fuel skimmers, magnetic-stripe fallback, and the American habit of servers carrying your card to a back station, all of which quietly copy your card and PIN.
PlatformA phishing email dressed as a DocuSign or Adobe Sign "review and sign" notification uses a spoofed sender and a Review Document button that hides a lookalike login page, harvesting your email password and 2FA code.
PlatformA Craigslist "buyer" or "renter" replies to your ad, says they've been burned before, and asks you to read back a code Google texts you — which quietly links a Google Voice number to your phone.
PlatformAutomated OTP bots and live vishing agents place spoofed calls posing as your bank's fraud line, then walk you through reading out or keying in the one-time code that authorises the scammer's own login or payment.
PlatformScammers send smishing texts posing as your state DMV, warning your license isn't REAL ID compliant and linking to a fake portal that charges a bogus fee and harvests your ID data.
PlatformScammers email official-looking letters from an invented financial authority — or a spoofed real regulator — to endorse a bogus platform or demand a "release fee" before you can withdraw funds that never existed.
PaymentOn Facebook Marketplace, scammers steer buyers and sellers off-platform to Zelle, exploiting its instant, bank-to-bank, largely irreversible transfers and the false belief that Zelle carries buyer protection.
PlatformScammers build convincing wedding-vendor Instagram accounts from stolen portfolios and impersonated handles, take deposits over DM, then vanish before the wedding day.
PlatformScammers on Facebook pose as expectant mothers or facilitators, contacting hopeful adoptive parents through profiles, groups, and Messenger to collect escalating "expenses" for a placement that never happens.
PlatformFake surrogacy agencies and 'surrogates' work Facebook groups, Pages, and Messenger to collect program fees, escrow deposits, and expenses from intended parents for matches, pregnancies, and journeys that never actually exist.
PlatformBoiler-room callers phone self-published and hopeful authors claiming a studio, agent, or major publisher wants their book, then extract staged fees for treatments, republishing, and marketing that lead nowhere.
PlatformScam PACs and fake campaign appeals blast urgent donation texts from rotating numbers, using shortened links to lookalike donation pages that pocket the money and quietly enroll donors in recurring withdrawals.