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Scams aimed at parents, grandparents, and families — family-emergency cons and child-focused scams. (60 scam types.)
A caller claims a family member has been seriously injured in an accident and that the victim must send money immediately to cover medical treatment or transport. The accident is invented.
Scammers use AI voice cloning to simulate a panicked loved one and demand ransom before the 'victim' can be reached.
A caller claims a family member has been arrested and needs bail money sent urgently before they can be released. The arrest is entirely fabricated.
Schemes where participants send money to names on a list, add their own name, and forward the message with the promise of receiving money from future participants — mathematically unsustainable and illegal in most jurisdictions.
Scams and manipulative practices targeting children into making real-money purchases in or around games without parental awareness.
A child's Social Security Number or national identifier is used to open credit accounts, take out loans, or commit tax fraud — sometimes going undetected for years until the child applies for a student loan or their first credit card as an adult.
Fraudsters use the identity of a recently deceased person to open credit accounts, file tax returns, or claim benefits before the death is formally recorded in financial and government databases — a practice known as 'ghosting'.
Cloned voices of family members or executives used to authorise urgent payments or 'rescues'.
Sudden 'crisis' stories — accidents, arrests, stranded abroad — engineered to rush money out of you.
One of the oldest work-from-home frauds — pay a fee, get instructions on how to run the same scam on others.
Callers posing as child support enforcement agencies threatening arrest or licence suspension to force payment or data.
Fraudulent organisations that use images and stories of children in need to solicit donations that never reach any child welfare cause.
Fraudulent 'research' opportunities that extract fees, personal information, or expose participants to harm under the guise of medical studies.
Criminals recruit victims as 'package managers' or home-based couriers, using them to receive, repackage, and reship fraudulently purchased goods to conceal the crime trail.
Fraudulent campaigns on legitimate fundraising platforms that fabricate personal hardship stories to collect donations for non-existent causes.
Scammers impersonate disaster relief agencies to steal personal data, advance fees, or direct genuine aid applicants to fraudulent portals that capture sensitive information.
A caller posing as a consular or embassy official contacts a family member claiming their relative is being detained abroad and requires urgent payment for fees or fines before they can be released.
Individuals posing as qualified immigration attorneys who take fees, provide incompetent or fraudulent services, and disappear before clients realise the harm done.
Strangers claim you are entitled to a large unclaimed inheritance but demand fees, taxes, and legal costs before the windfall can be released.
A caller posing as a lawyer contacts a family member claiming to represent a relative who has been arrested, and requests an urgent fee for legal representation or bail assistance. No arrest has occurred.
Invented illnesses or accidents used to extract money for treatment that doesn't exist.
Counterfeit, substandard, or never-delivered medical devices sold online — from PPE to oxygen concentrators and diagnostic devices.
Fraudulent parental monitoring apps charge subscription fees, harvest children's data, or install malware while providing no genuine monitoring capability.
Fraudulent 'product testing' schemes promise free products and payment to consumers but charge upfront fees, harvest personal data, or deliver counterfeit goods while collecting real payment details.
Fraudulent proofreading employers recruit applicants and charge them for a certification course or training material as a condition of employment — no actual proofreading work ever follows.
Fake scholarship programmes that charge an application or processing fee to students for awards that do not exist or were never available to applicants.
Fraudsters posing as loyalty scheme support or third-party brokers steal frequent flyer and hotel points by requesting account credentials or directing victims to fake transfer sites.
Bogus organisations claiming to support military veterans or their families that pocket donated funds rather than delivering any services.
Fraudulent organisations using military or veterans' imagery to collect donations that never reach serving personnel, veterans, or their families.
Fraudulent companies and individuals who charge fees to prepare visa or green card applications but provide worthless or non-existent services.
Callers claiming your tap water is contaminated and selling unnecessary or useless filtration equipment.
Fraudulent diet and weight loss programs that charge recurring subscription fees for coaching, meal plans, or supplements that are never delivered or have no meaningful effect.
Fraudulent organisations claiming to train guide dogs, assistance animals, or working dogs that collect donations without funding any genuine animal welfare or training programme.
A fraudster contacts a victim claiming a family member is in immediate danger or financial crisis and needs urgent funds transferred right away. Unlike the grandparent scam, this variant targets people of all ages.
Websites and social media posts claiming to generate free Robux, V-Bucks, or similar platform currencies that steal credentials, install malware, or run survey fraud.
Fraudulent apps and websites promise earnings for clicking ads or completing simple digital tasks, but never pay out — they harvest personal data, generate ad revenue for the operator, or require fees that exceed any payout.
A caller pretends to be a grandchild or other close relative in serious trouble, begging for urgent cash before the family finds out. The urgency and shame angle stop victims from pausing to verify.
Messages that appear to come from a trusted contact whose account has been compromised, used to request money, gift cards, or personal information.
Attackers use a compromised account to message the victim's contacts, exploiting established trust to request money, personal details, or account access.
Criminals use your identity to obtain medical treatment, prescriptions, or insurance benefits — leaving you with fraudulent records and unexpected bills.
Products falsely claiming to cure, prevent, or treat serious medical conditions — exploiting people seeking hope or alternatives to conventional treatment.
Multi-level marketing pitches that generate income primarily from recruiting fees rather than selling real products.
Bogus talent agencies that charge upfront fees for portfolios, headshots, or training with no genuine industry access.
Fake mystery-shopping jobs that send bogus cheques and instruct you to buy gift cards or wire funds — a classic fake-cheque variant.
Unqualified 'notarios' and immigration consultants who charge for legal advice they are not permitted to give, often harming clients' cases.
Fraudulent survey and market-research panel sites promise significant pay-per-survey income but pocket sign-up fees, sell personal data, or keep earnings locked behind impossible cashout thresholds.
Investment frauds that pay 'returns' to early investors using new investors' money until they 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.
Fraudulent sellers take a non-refundable deposit for a puppy that does not exist, then disappear or invent reasons to demand more money before the animal is never delivered.
Schemes where participants earn money solely by recruiting new members, with no real product or service — mathematically guaranteed to collapse, leaving the vast majority of participants at a loss.
Threats to expose a relationship, real or fabricated, unless payment is made to keep it secret.
Fake awards that charge application or processing fees for scholarships or grants that either do not exist or were never open to the target.
A message or call claims a family member travelling overseas has been robbed, lost their documents, or is otherwise stranded and needs emergency funds wired immediately. The situation is fabricated.
Criminals combine real and AI-generated identity details to create new credit profiles that are used to take out loans, cards, and credit in a name that is partly or wholly fictitious.
Fraudsters combine real and fabricated personal data to create a new 'synthetic' identity, then build credit before vanishing with borrowed funds. Victims often do not realise until a debt collector calls years later.
Game-like 'task' or 'commission' jobs that pay small amounts early, then demand escalating deposits.
A fraudster files a tax return using your Social Security Number or national identifier before you do, claiming your refund. You only discover the fraud when your legitimate return is rejected as a duplicate — and reclaiming the refund can take months.
A caller claims to have kidnapped a family member and demands an immediate ransom, but no one has actually been taken. The scam relies entirely on fear and the brief window before the victim can verify their relative is safe.
Door-to-door sales agents conduct a dramatic water quality demonstration, exaggerate health risks, and pressure homeowners into expensive water filtration systems they do not need.
Mass-spam emails falsely claim the sender hacked your webcam and recorded you watching adult content, then demand payment to suppress the footage. The footage does not exist.