Field guide · 14 entries
Scams repeat. Learn the shapes.
Each entry shows how a scam works step by step, what gives it away, and what to do. Every example message is invented. Where we quote numbers, they come from the FTC and we say so.
- 01 Fake delivery and toll texts A parcel or toll problem you didn't know about, with a link to fix it for a small fee.
- 02 Task and "rate products" job scams A job that pays you to click, rate or "optimise", until you're asked to pay in to keep going.
- 03 Fake recruiters and job offers A recruiter who found you, skips the interview, and sends a cheque or asks for your ID and bank details.
- 04 "Bank fraud department" calls and safe accounts Someone from your bank's "fraud team" tells you to move your money somewhere safe.
- 05 Investment and romance scams Someone you've never met in person steers you toward a platform that always shows profit.
- 06 Tech-support pop-ups and calls A warning on your screen, or a call out of the blue, says your device is infected and gives you a number.
- 07 Family-emergency and cloned-voice calls A relative in trouble needs money now, and begs you not to tell anyone.
- 08 Overpayment and fake-cheque scams Someone pays you too much by cheque or transfer and asks you to send the difference back.
- 09 Rental and deposit scams A bargain home, a landlord who can't meet you, and a deposit to "hold" it before you've seen it.
- 10 Invoice and bank-detail-change fraud A supplier, landlord or colleague emails that their bank details have changed.
- 11 Prizes, lotteries and inheritances You've won, or inherited, something you never entered or expected, and a fee unlocks it.
- 12 Government and tax impersonation A tax office, police officer or court says you owe money or face arrest unless you pay now.
- 13 QR-code and parking-payment scams A QR code on a meter, poster or letter sends you to a payment page that isn't the operator's.
- 14 Account-verification phishing A message says your account is locked, in trouble or owed a refund, and the fix is to sign in through its link.
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