Finance Scams

Fake or manipulated investment opportunities that promise high, guaranteed returns and pressure you to deposit quickly.

Fraud built around cryptocurrency — fake exchanges, wallet-draining links, giveaway scams and bogus trading platforms.

Fake foreign-exchange trading schemes and 'account managers' that promise steady FX profits and block withdrawals.

Slick websites and apps that simulate trading and show fake profits to keep you depositing.

Long-con investment fraud that blends romance or friendship with a fake crypto trading platform.

Fake lenders that demand upfront 'fees', insurance or deposits before releasing a loan that never arrives.

Schemes that pressure you to transfer or unlock your pension into high-risk or fake investments.

Fraudsters who target people who were already scammed, charging upfront fees to 'recover' lost money.

Impersonation of regulated brokers, or entirely invented firms, to take deposits for trading or investing.

Investment frauds that pay 'returns' to early investors using new investors' money until they collapse.

Coordinated hype that inflates a stock or token's price so insiders can sell at the top, crashing it.

Promises of a large payout — inheritance, prize, contract or fund — that require fees paid upfront first.

Messages claiming you're owed a tax refund to harvest bank details or trick you into 'fees'.

Bogus debt-settlement or consolidation services that charge fees and leave debts unpaid.

Scammers trick you into authorising a bank transfer or mobile payment to an account they control, using social engineering, fake emergencies, or impersonation.

Someone posing as your bank tells you your account is compromised and instructs you to move your money to a 'safe' account — which they control.

High-pressure sales operations that cold-call investors to push worthless, overpriced, or non-existent shares and investments.

Fraudulent 'all-or-nothing' trading platforms that manipulate outcomes to ensure you lose and block withdrawals.

Fraudulent gold, silver, and platinum schemes that sell overpriced, non-existent, or unallocated metals and block redemption.

Fraudulent investment schemes that sell worthless, non-existent, or unregistered carbon credits as a high-return alternative investment.

Fake property crowdfunding schemes that sell fractions of non-existent or unregistered real estate and then block withdrawals behind endless fees.

Companies charging upfront fees to 'fix' your credit file using methods that are illegal, ineffective, or things you can do yourself for free.

Strangers claim you are entitled to a large unclaimed inheritance but demand fees, taxes, and legal costs before the windfall can be released.

Fraudsters exploit buy now pay later services to make purchases with stolen identity data, leaving victims liable for debt they never incurred.

Fraudulent debt consolidation companies charge large upfront fees, collect personal financial data, and then disappear — leaving victims in worse debt and potentially exposed to identity theft.

Scammers on social media claim they can multiply your money through a special banking exploit or contact, take the payment, and send nothing back.

Fraudsters pose as mortgage brokers or lenders, collect large upfront fees and sensitive personal data, then disappear — leaving victims with no mortgage, empty bank accounts, and compromised identity documents.

Fraudsters target older homeowners with fake or misrepresented reverse mortgage products, collecting fees for loans that never materialise or steering victims into predatory terms that risk their home.

Criminals apply for home equity lines of credit using stolen homeowner identities, or pose as lenders collecting fees for HELOC products that never materialise.

Organised criminal networks exploit VAT refund systems by rapidly cycling the same goods through multiple businesses across borders, claiming tax refunds that were never actually paid.

Social media 'financial influencers' promote investments, trading courses, or platforms without holding any regulatory licence, often receiving undisclosed payments and exposing followers to serious financial harm.

Fraudsters impersonate legitimate debt collectors or court officers, threatening legal action or arrest to pressure victims into paying debts they do not owe — or overpaying real debts to fake collection accounts.

Scammers infiltrate a close-knit community — religious, ethnic, professional, or social — and exploit the trust members share to sell fraudulent investments.

HYIPs promise extraordinary daily or weekly returns — often hundreds of percent per year — through vague 'trading' or 'arbitrage' strategies, but are structured as Ponzi schemes that always collapse.

Fraudsters claim access to secret 'prime bank' instruments — standby letters of credit, bank guarantees, or medium-term notes — supposedly traded by the world's top banks, promising huge risk-free profits.

Scammers invite people to a free meal or seminar, then use high-pressure sales tactics to push unsuitable or fraudulent financial products — often targeting retirees with pension savings.

Fraudsters sell supposedly expert sports betting tips or access to insider information, collecting subscription fees while providing picks that perform no better than chance.

Scammers charge for matched betting software or arbitrage alerts that do not work as advertised, steal account credentials, or expose victims to money-laundering risks.

Influencers and online marketers sell expensive courses, mentorship programmes, or masterclasses promising rapid wealth through trading, dropshipping, or passive income strategies, delivering little of practical value.

Promoters persuade retirement savers to roll over pension or IRA funds into precious metals accounts, charging excessive fees, marking up metal prices, and storing assets in ways that reduce or eliminate their value.

Fraudsters sell fake or misrepresented short-term debt instruments — promissory notes — promising high fixed returns backed by corporate issuers that do not exist or cannot honour the obligation.

Scammers impersonate banks, exchanges, or financial platforms and claim the victim must immediately update their KYC details or face account suspension — leading to credential theft or direct fraud.

Unregulated mobile loan apps offer fast, small loans then use aggressive harassment, threats, and contact-list abuse to extract repayments many times the original principal.

Scammers contact investors who have lost money in collapsed companies or unpaid dividends and claim they can recover the funds — for an advance fee that is itself the fraud.