Scam Pattern Database
Browse 20 documented scam types — how each one works, who it targets, warning signs, and what to do if you encounter it.
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Advance Fee Fraud
You're promised a large sum of money — an inheritance, lottery win, or business opportunity — but must first pay a small 'processing fee' to release it. The money never arrives, but the fees keep escalating.
Business Email Compromise (BEC)
Scammers impersonate executives, vendors, or clients via email to trick businesses into wiring large sums of money or disclosing sensitive information. BEC is the most financially damaging category of scam targeting businesses, with average losses per incident exceeding $125,000.
Charity Scam
Scammers impersonate charities or create fake ones to steal donations. Often timed to major disasters, holidays, or crisis news cycles when people are most motivated to give.
Crypto Recovery Scam
After a victim loses money to a crypto scam, a 'recovery service' contacts them promising to trace and recover the stolen funds — for an upfront fee. These 'recovery agents' are scammers themselves, and the victim loses more money.
Fake Job Offer Scam
Scammers post fake job listings or directly contact job seekers with too-good-to-be-true offers. After a fake 'interview,' victims are asked to pay for equipment, deposit fake checks, provide personal information for 'onboarding,' or unknowingly act as money mules.
Grandparent Scam
A scammer calls an older adult, pretending to be a grandchild in crisis — arrested, hospitalized, or stranded — and urgently needs money. In 2026, most of these calls use AI-cloned voices to sound exactly like the real grandchild.
Investment Fraud
Scammers promise unrealistic returns on investments that don't exist or are structured to pay early investors with later investors' money (Ponzi schemes). Common targets include forex, crypto, real estate, gold, and 'guaranteed returns' programs.
IRS Impersonation Scam
A scammer calls or texts claiming to be from the IRS, threatening arrest, deportation, or asset seizure for unpaid taxes. They demand immediate payment — usually via gift cards, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency — to avoid 'legal consequences.'
Lottery and Prize Scam
A notification tells you you've won a lottery, sweepstakes, or prize — often one you never entered. To claim the prize, you must first pay 'taxes,' 'processing fees,' or 'insurance.' The prize doesn't exist; the fees go directly to the scammer.
Medicare Scam
Scammers impersonate Medicare representatives to steal personal information, commit Medicare fraud, or bill Medicare for products and services the victim never received. Common variants include fake 'new Medicare card' calls and free medical equipment offers.
Overpayment / Fake Check Scam
Someone sends you a check for more than an agreed amount and asks you to wire the difference to someone else. You deposit the check, wire the money, and a week later the check bounces — leaving you liable for the full amount.
Phishing
Scammers impersonate legitimate companies (your bank, Amazon, Microsoft, the IRS) via email to trick you into clicking a malicious link, entering login credentials on a fake site, or opening an infected attachment.
Pig Butchering Scam
A long-con that combines romance fraud with fake cryptocurrency investing. Scammers build an emotional relationship over weeks or months, then convince victims to 'invest' in a fake trading platform that shows fake profits until the victim sends real money and can't withdraw it.
Puppy and Pet Scam
Scammers post fake listings for puppies, kittens, or exotic pets at prices below market. After payment, the 'breeder' invents additional fees (crate rental, insurance, vaccine, travel permits) before disappearing. The pet never existed.
Rental Scam
Scammers post fake rental listings for apartments or houses that don't exist or they don't own. Desperate renters pay application fees, security deposits, or first month's rent — and then discover the listing was fake.
Romance Scam
A scammer builds an online romantic relationship over weeks or months to eventually convince the victim to send money — for a medical emergency, travel costs, business problems, or any other manufactured crisis. The victim usually never meets the 'partner' in person.
Smishing (SMS Phishing)
Phishing delivered via text message. Common variants include fake USPS/FedEx delivery notices, fake bank fraud alerts, fake toll road bills, and fake IRS warnings — all designed to push victims to click malicious links.
Social Security Impersonation
A scammer claims to be from the Social Security Administration, warning that your Social Security number has been 'suspended' due to suspicious activity. They demand personal information or payment to 'restore' your benefits.
Tech Support Scam
A popup or cold call claims your computer is infected and urges you to contact 'tech support.' The scammer takes remote control of your computer, runs fake scans showing nonexistent problems, and charges hundreds of dollars to 'fix' them — while sometimes installing real malware.
Vishing (Voice Phishing)
Phishing over the phone. Scammers call pretending to be from your bank, a government agency, or a tech company, using social engineering to trick you into revealing personal information, financial details, or transferring money.
