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Scams aimed at students and recent graduates — fake scholarships, tuition fraud, and diploma mills. (79 scam types.)
'Get paid to review apps' offers that mirror task scams, requiring deposits to unlock earnings.
Scammers pose as companies offering to pay drivers to wrap their cars with brand advertising, then send an overpayment cheque and ask the victim to forward money to a 'vehicle wrap installer.'
Street collectors with clipboards pose as charity fundraisers for causes like deaf or disabled children, taking cash donations that fund no charity at all.
Fake employers advertise salaried positions but switch candidates to an unpaid commission-only model after hiring, often after the candidate has already resigned from a previous role.
Overseas job offers for customer service, crypto, translation, or data-entry work that lure applicants abroad and traffic them into fortified compounds, where passports are seized and people are forced under violence to run online scams on victims worldwide.
Fake content agencies or clients post writing jobs, then charge applicants a registration, training, or 'style guide' fee before any work begins — after which they disappear or provide no actual assignments.
Classic 'easy data entry from home' offers built around upfront fees or impossible accuracy clauses.
Callers posing as immigration enforcement officers threaten imminent deportation or detention to coerce migrants and visa holders into making urgent payments or surrendering identity documents.
Fraudulent services promising to reduce, settle, or manage private student debt or tuition arrears in exchange for upfront fees.
Fraudsters pose as exam invigilators, test administrators, or insiders offering to guarantee pass results for an upfront payment — and take the money without delivering anything.
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.
Scammers charge prospective renters an upfront 'application' or 'tour scheduling' fee for a unit viewing that never happens, often using photos of a real property they do not control.
Bogus childcare and elder-care job ads used for fake-cheque fraud, money muling, or identity theft from vulnerable carers.
Job offers made conditional on purchasing a mandatory certification, training programme, or licence that is worthless or non-existent.
Services that charge for citizenship test preparation claiming to be official or to improve pass rates through back channels, but provide nothing beyond free public materials.
Fraudulent training and certification programs charge aspiring court interpreters for credentials that are not recognized by any court system, leaving them unable to work in the role they paid to qualify for.
Fraudulent data annotation platforms promise pay-per-task income but withhold accumulated earnings until a minimum threshold that resets or is unachievable, or require fee payments before withdrawal.
Scammers claim students or parents qualify for a government education grant and charge a processing or 'release' fee to access money that does not exist or was never available through the impersonated agency.
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.
Fraudsters pose as estate agents or property managers to collect holding deposits on properties they have no authority to let, leaving tenants without a property or their money.
Scammers charge students and parents a fee to 'complete' or 'fast-track' the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), a form that is genuinely free to file directly with the government.
Fraudulent 'paid game tester' job offers ask applicants to pay for equipment, software, or registration fees, or to complete tasks that harvest personal and financial information, with no real job behind the offer.
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.
Imposters impersonating official government recruitment agencies to charge fees for civil service or public-sector roles.
Threats of deportation or visa problems used to extort payment from migrants and visitors.
Bogus internship offers that harvest personal data or charge upfront training and placement fees in exchange for experience that never materialises.
Fraudulent agencies and 'placement companies' charge students an upfront fee to guarantee an internship with a well-known employer, delivering little or nothing in return.
Bogus interviews via chat used to collect personal data or push equipment/onboarding fees.
Impostors posing as property owners who have no right to rent the property, leaving tenants homeless and out of pocket.
Fraudulent mystery shopper job offers that use a prize or lottery element to justify sending fake cheques or requesting advance payments.
Fraudulent services that charge for notarization or apostille certification but produce invalid or forged documents that fail when submitted to official authorities.
Fraudulent online courses and coding bootcamps that collect large tuition fees but deliver little or no real education, and disappear before students can access support or refunds.
High-priced online courses and mentorship programmes sold through lifestyle marketing that promise life-changing income skills but deliver recycled, low-value content — often with a secondary recruitment income layer.
Fraudsters pose as immigration or customs officials and claim the victim's passport has been flagged for seizure due to criminal activity, threatening deportation or arrest unless an immediate payment is made.
Strangers ask you to sign a petition for a sympathetic cause, then demand a donation — and the clipboard often doubles as cover for pickpocketing.
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.
Imposters posing as recruiters or HR to harvest personal data, fees, or to enlist money mules.
Bogus 'personal' or 'virtual assistant' roles used for fake-cheque, errand, or mule schemes.
Fraudulent or non-existent renters insurance policies sold to tenants — often bundled into the leasing process — that pay nothing when belongings are stolen, damaged, or destroyed.
Fake scholarship programmes that charge an application or processing fee to students for awards that do not exist or were never available to applicants.
Fraudulent landlords and fake letting agents advertise student rooms or apartments near foreign universities, taking a deposit or several months' rent before the student arrives to find the property does not exist or was never available.
Fraudulent messages impersonating tax authorities to demand payments or personal information from students over non-existent tax debts or refunds.
Messages claiming you're owed a tax refund to harvest bank details or trick you into 'fees'.
Fraudulent textbook rental sites and marketplace listings take payment for course materials that are never shipped, are counterfeit, or are never returned at the promised refund.
Fraudulent transcription employers advertise easy home-based audio transcription work, then charge applicants for training or certification before providing any work — after which they disappear.
Fraudulent translation agencies recruit linguists with attractive per-word rates, then charge upfront fees for software, certification, or testing before vanishing or providing no actual work.
Online tutoring platforms and 'homework help' services lock students and parents into recurring subscriptions that are hard to cancel, deliver little or no real tutoring, or use unqualified tutors while billing premium rates.
Fraudsters send fake or spoofed acceptance letters demanding an urgent enrollment deposit to secure a place, targeting students and parents excited about a college offer.
Fraudulent companies and individuals who charge fees to prepare visa or green card applications but provide worthless or non-existent services.
Threats of visa cancellation or fines unless you pay or share details with a fake 'enforcement' unit.
Fake apartment, villa and car rentals that take a deposit for a property that isn't available.
Fraudsters impersonate universities or education agents to intercept large international tuition deposits from overseas students, leaving them without a university place or their money.
Fake recruiters contact job seekers on LinkedIn with attractive roles, then move the conversation off-platform to harvest personal data, charge fake onboarding fees, or deliver malware disguised as job documents.
Fake lenders that demand upfront 'fees', insurance or deposits before releasing a loan that never arrives.
Fraudsters intercept or redirect physical mail containing sensitive identity documents — bank cards, NIN letters, passports, or HMRC correspondence — to gather everything needed to impersonate you and open accounts in your name.
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.
Paid courses and software claiming to teach a 'risk-free' method of profiting from bookmaker bonuses, charging high upfront fees for outdated, ineffective, or misrepresented techniques.
Multi-level marketing pitches that generate income primarily from recruiting fees rather than selling real products.
Fake "payment processor" jobs, or romance and social contacts, recruit you to receive money into your own bank account and forward it on for a cut — making you the traceable link in a money-laundering chain.
Fake mystery-shopping jobs that send bogus cheques and instruct you to buy gift cards or wire funds — a classic fake-cheque variant.
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.
Commercial "paper mills" sell ghostwritten essays, theses, fabricated research papers, and even authorship slots on manuscripts. Buyers risk plagiarised or recycled work, academic ruin if caught — and blackmail, because the mill keeps the receipts and knows exactly who paid.
Fake or sham open-access journals flatter researchers with solicitation emails, accept almost any manuscript, and charge article-processing fees while providing no genuine peer review — leaving authors out of pocket and their work stranded in a venue that damages their reputation.
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.
Fraudulent scholarship or seminary funding offers tied to a faith community that require upfront 'processing' or 'registration' fees before any award is released.
Landlords or agents who collect large security deposits and vanish — or invent reasons to withhold them — leaving tenants out of pocket.
Fake or hijacked property listings that collect deposits and application fees for homes that are unavailable or non-existent.
'Jobs' that use you to reship goods bought with stolen cards or move criminal money.
Fake awards that charge application or processing fees for scholarships or grants that either do not exist or were never open to the target.
Fraudsters pose as landlords or existing tenants in a shared house to collect deposits and first month's rent for rooms that are already occupied, do not exist, or belong to someone else.
Companies that charge large upfront fees promising guaranteed federal loan cancellation — money that cannot be recovered once paid and services that are either free or impossible.
Fraudulent services that charge upfront fees to 'forgive', reduce, or manage student loan debt — help that is free through official channels.
Fraudulent education consultants and visa agents who take fees for overseas study placements, visa processing, or accommodation that never materialise.
Game-like 'task' or 'commission' jobs that pay small amounts early, then demand escalating deposits.
Fraudsters posing as courier companies or embassy agents demand payment for 'customs fees' or 'release charges' on supposed travel documents being delivered, then collect the fee and deliver nothing.
Fraudulent payment portals, impersonated institutions, and misdirected wire transfers targeting students paying tuition or accommodation fees.
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.
Fraudulent overseas volunteering organisations that charge placement or programme fees for positions that do not exist or for experiences grossly misrepresented from reality.
Bogus remote-work offers built around upfront fees, useless 'kits', or unpaid 'training'.