Scam Types
The ScamEncyclopedia scam-type library is a structured index of 959 scam types in 38 categories, each with red flags, example messages, immediate steps and reporting routes. Each guide covers how the scam works, red flags, what to do immediately, evidence to preserve, and where to report.
Last reviewed 6 August 2026.
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.
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.