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Scams that spread through social media — account takeover, fake giveaways, and impersonation. (83 scam types.)
Fraudsters solicit 'in lieu of flowers' donations to a named charity following a death, but the charity is fake, unrelated to the family's wishes, or the donation link is fraudulent.
Platforms claiming an AI-powered bot generates automatic, consistent trading profits, paired with a referral commission for recruiting new depositors — in reality funded by new deposits rather than real trading, collapsing when recruitment slows.
Scammers use AI voice cloning to simulate a panicked loved one and demand ransom before the 'victim' can be reached.
Deepfake videos and images of celebrities 'endorsing' investments or giveaways.
Fabricated 'news articles' promoting scams, often using deepfakes and trusted-outlet branding.
Deceptive apps on official app stores charge disproportionately high subscription fees after short free trials, relying on users not noticing the cost before the trial ends.
Multi-level marketing schemes selling skincare, makeup, or beauty products through 'independent consultants' who are pushed toward recruitment and inventory purchases over genuine retail sales, resulting in losses for the majority of participants.
Paid tipping services that promise guaranteed or near-guaranteed winning bets through a subscription fee, using cherry-picked results and vanishing accounts to hide a losing track record.
AI-generated voice clones and face-swapped video are used to defeat voice and facial recognition authentication, impersonate victims to banks and contacts, and authorize fraudulent transactions that sound and look convincingly like the real person.
Fraudulent capital campaigns that solicit donations for a new church building, renovation, or expansion project that is exaggerated, stalled indefinitely, or entirely invented.
Compromised accounts mass-tag friends in comments with a shocking or curiosity-driven link that installs malware or steals credentials, then uses the newly infected account to repeat the cycle against its own contacts.
Cryptocurrency-only casinos, often tied to their own native token, that suddenly shut down or empty their reserves once deposits reach a peak, leaving player balances worthless.
Scammers generate AI-fabricated intimate images using the victim's real photographs and threaten to distribute them unless money is paid, despite the images being entirely artificial.
Fraudulent appeals exploiting floods, earthquakes, conflicts, and other crises to divert emergency donations away from genuine relief efforts.
Compromised or spoofed accounts direct message followers claiming a limited-time cryptocurrency giveaway that requires sending a small deposit first to 'unlock' a much larger return, which never arrives.
A scammer threatens to publish a victim's private personal information — home address, workplace, phone number, family details — unless a ransom is paid or demands are met.
Schemes structured as affiliate marketing networks where meaningful income requires recruiting new affiliates rather than generating genuine product sales — a pyramid disguised with marketing terminology.
Counterfeit "ChatGPT", "AI assistant", and "AI photo and video generator" apps and browser extensions impersonate real AI brands. They trap you in fleeceware subscriptions, steal logins and card details, hijack your browser, or quietly record everything you type.
Unsolicited messages invite users to become a 'brand ambassador', requesting an upfront kit fee, personal identification, or bank details in exchange for free products and commission that never materialise.
A fraudulent creator-brand marketplace charges an upfront membership or application fee to access sponsorship opportunities that are vague, unresponsive, or never actually lead to paid work.
Scammers posing as famous people who build emotional relationships with fans before requesting money.
Fraudulent lottery or prize draw schemes that falsely claim a charitable purpose, collecting ticket payments that are not applied to any genuine cause and often never running a legitimate prize draw.
Fraudulent prize draws that use charitable branding to sell tickets but never run a genuine draw and keep all proceeds without donating anything.
Fraudulent charity raffles and prize draws that collect ticket payments without running a real draw, donating to charity, or awarding prizes.
Fraudulent 'charities' with convincing names and websites that collect donations and pass nothing to any genuine cause.
Products sold with a promise to donate a portion of proceeds to a named cause, where no meaningful donation is made and the charitable claim is used purely to justify the purchase.
Fraudulent competitions designed to harvest personal data, charge entry fees, or deliver worthless prizes instead of the advertised ones.
Fraudulent offers to enrol creators in monetisation programmes, ad revenue sharing, or brand fund access — all requiring upfront fees or credential submission.
Scammers send false copyright infringement notices threatening to have a website, social media account, or content removed unless a licensing fee or settlement is paid, often to a fraudulent entity.
Fraudulent campaigns on legitimate fundraising platforms that fabricate personal hardship stories to collect donations for non-existent causes.
Fraudulent job offers in the crypto industry that steal funds, harvest credentials, or install malware through the hiring process.
Fraudulent services targeting people who have already lost money in crypto scams, promising to trace and recover funds in exchange for upfront fees.
Fraudulent social media fundraising campaigns created within hours of a disaster, impersonating affected communities or relief organisations to collect donations that reach no victims.
Paid dropshipping courses and mentorship programs that showcase inflated revenue claims and pay a referral commission for recruiting new students, generating most of the mentor's real income from course sales rather than genuine e-commerce success.
Fraudulent campaigns using powerful wildlife and environmental imagery to collect donations that reach no conservation project, animal welfare programme, or environmental cause.
Fraudulent sellers offer concert, sports, or festival tickets that are counterfeit, already used, or simply never delivered.
Fraudulent 'clients' hire freelancers, overpay via a cheque or payment transfer, then ask for a refund of the surplus — leaving the freelancer liable when the original payment reverses.
Scammers notify targets that they have been approved for a government grant they never applied for, then request a fee or bank details to release the funds.
Promises of free government grant money that require fees or bank details to 'release'.
A caller, texter, or social media contact claims your device's camera has been compromised by malware and demands payment to stop them releasing footage that was never captured.
A caller claims to be hospital staff informing the victim that a relative has been admitted after an accident or sudden illness, and requests urgent payment for treatment, transport, or paperwork before the family member can be seen or discharged.
Fraudulent brand partnership offers that require social media creators to pay upfront fees, buy products, or share personal bank details before receiving payment.
Strangers claim you are entitled to a large unclaimed inheritance but demand fees, taxes, and legal costs before the windfall can be released.
Fraudulent fashion boutiques operate entirely through Instagram, taking orders and payments for clothing and accessories that never arrive or are cheap counterfeits.
Fraudulent fundraising campaigns that fabricate or exaggerate medical emergencies to collect donations from generous individuals, with funds going to the scammer rather than any genuine patient.
Fraudulent crowdfunding campaigns that fabricate or grossly exaggerate serious medical conditions to collect donations from compassionate supporters.
Fraudulent fundraising campaigns presenting a fabricated or exaggerated medical case to solicit donations that never reach any patient or treatment.
Emails and in-app notices spoofing Meta Business Suite warn that a Page or ad account will be disabled unless the owner 'confirms' their identity on a phishing page that steals login credentials and ad-account access.
A fake scout or producer offers a paid modeling or content shoot but requires an upfront fee for portfolio, wardrobe, or rights processing before any real work happens.
Fraudulent lenders issue fake mortgage preapproval letters or collect sensitive financial information under the guise of preapproval, costing victims fees, lost offers, or identity theft.
Schemes selling 'done-for-you' or automated passive income systems that promise money earned while you sleep — the systems rarely work as advertised and often include a recruitment income layer.
Bogus 'reset your password' or 'unusual login' messages that capture credentials and codes.
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.
Fraudsters pose as wealthy older women offering a generous allowance to younger people, then request fees, gift cards, or personal information before the promised money is ever sent.
Individuals create false crowdfunding campaigns claiming a pet needs urgent, expensive veterinary treatment, collecting donations that are used for personal gain rather than any animal's care.
Products claiming to cause significant weight loss without diet or exercise changes — often sold via aggressive subscription traps.
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.
Sellers offer a 'free' trial that requires your card details, then charge a full subscription fee if you do not cancel within a short window — which is deliberately hard to find.
During an online gaming dispute or livestream, a rival threatens to send an armed police response ('swat') to a gamer's or streamer's home address unless a payment is made or a demand is met.
Counterfeit brand partnership offers that harvest credentials, extract fees, or obtain personal data under the guise of a paid sponsorship deal.
Coordinated groups artificially inflate a low-value token's price, then dump their holdings on retail buyers who bought in during the hype.
Fraudsters set up fake fundraising pages 'in memory of' a deceased person, sometimes using a real death from local news, to collect donations that never reach the family.
Bogus talent agencies that charge upfront fees for portfolios, headshots, or training with no genuine industry access.
Scammers on social media claim they can multiply your money through a special banking exploit or contact, take the payment, and send nothing back.
NFT or Web3 platforms that pay existing holders a referral commission for recruiting new buyers, creating a pyramid-like structure disguised as blockchain innovation, where early recruiters profit at the expense of later participants.
Fake congratulatory messages claiming you have won a prize, used to harvest personal details or extract upfront fees.
Duplicate profiles built using your public photos and name to scam your contacts or tarnish your reputation.
Fraudulent raffles that collect ticket sales without conducting a fair draw, delivering no prize to any genuine participant.
Fraudulent religious leaders and fake ministries that exploit tithing obligations and faith-based generosity to collect money for personal gain rather than any genuine religious or charitable purpose.
Malware and malicious browser extensions that steal active session cookies, bypassing passwords and two-factor authentication entirely.
Criminals hijack your phone number through a fraudulent SIM swap or eSIM transfer, intercepting the SMS codes and calls your accounts rely on for identity verification, then use that access to break into email, banking, and crypto accounts.
A scammer who gains access to — or convincingly claims to have access to — a social media account demands payment to return it or threatens to lock out, delete, or expose its contents.
Fraudsters create fake accounts impersonating celebrities, brands, or influencers to run fake giveaways that harvest personal data, cryptocurrency, or upfront fees.
Fake giveaways promoted on social platforms to collect personal information, extract fees, or push victims to phishing sites.
Schemes operating through social media lifestyle content that recruit followers into paid programmes, teams, or communities where the real income model is perpetual recruitment, not the advertised income skill.
Fake lottery winner announcements on social platforms that contact users directly to extract fees or personal details under the pretence of prize delivery.
Paid trading 'signal' or stock-tip groups that combine unverifiable performance claims with a referral commission for recruiting new subscribers, functioning more as a subscription-recruitment scheme than a genuine trading-education service.
Fake offers of a generous weekly allowance that require an upfront payment before anything is ever received.
Paid membership programs promising exclusive ticket pre-sale access and bulk-buying software for reselling profit, which pay a referral commission for recruiting new members and generate most revenue from membership fees rather than genuine ticket arbitrage.
Messages posing as TikTok's Creator Fund or Creativity Program invite creators to 'claim' earnings or bonus payouts, directing them to a phishing page that steals login credentials or payment information.
Fake 'apply for your blue tick' messages that harvest account credentials or charge fees for a badge that never arrives.
Fraudsters promise — or impersonate the process of obtaining — official social media or platform verification badges, charging fees or stealing credentials in the process.
Scammers targeting bereaved people with manufactured empathy, exploiting grief to build trust and then request money.