A live directory of real scams going around now, summarized from FTC, FBI/IC3, BBB, AARP, Apple, and other public sources. Always follow the source link.
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According to the FTC, scammers send unexpected "You're invited" texts and emails that look like they're from well-known invitation platforms like Evite or Pape…
After a security incident in which hackers tried to steal more than $6 billion from Binance, scam accounts began circulating fake promotions and screenshots cl…
An email that is a genuine Google security alert saying an app password was created, but where the app name has been replaced with a scammer's message: a fake …
According to the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS), scammers are sending texts and making calls to SNAP recipients that falsely claim an EBT transa…
According to the Grant County Sheriff's Office in Washington, fake Facebook posts are made to look like real news reports about a death, often with photos of p…
According to Bryan Oglesby of the BBB serving West Florida, scammers use social media ads and search engine ads to draw holiday shoppers to websites that imper…
According to the BBB of Central and South Alabama, criminals pose as someone a business already trusts, like a vendor or a company leader, to get a payment sen…
According to an Oct. 27, 2026 public warning from the Calvert County, Maryland State's Attorney's Office, fraudsters pretend to be government officials, law en…
According to the Social Security Administration's Office of the Inspector General (SSA OIG), after SSA announced the 3.6 percent 2027 cost-of-living adjustment…
According to Indiana Governor Mike Braun and Attorney General Todd Rokita, callers impersonating Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (PLA) staff are using a …
According to an Oct. 27, 2026 announcement by the Justice Department's Scam Center Strike Force (released by the U.S. Secret Service), scammers posed as attrac…
According to the Better Business Bureau, callers, voicemails, or texts claim you may have thousands of dollars waiting in an uncollected "relief check" from pa…
According to the FTC, scammers impersonate reputable charities and tell people they won a charity-sponsored sweepstakes because they donated to that charity. T…
According to the FTC, operators of an alleged debt relief scheme targeted seniors and veterans by pretending to be banks, credit card companies and government …
According to a Sept. 28, 2026 scam alert from the Social Security Administration's Office of the Inspector General (SSA OIG), it starts with a scary call or te…
According to an Oct. 23, 2026 VA News article from the VA Office of Information and Technology, a Veteran gets a text that looks like it's from VA warning of a…
According to an Oct. 22, 2026 FTC consumer alert, someone claiming to be an FTC official calls to say a phone was registered under your name and number and is …
According to the FTC, scammers posing as farm equipment businesses are selling equipment that doesn't exist. You might see a social media ad for a tractor at a…
According to an Oct. 13, 2026 FBI public service announcement, North Korean remote "IT workers" post fake job openings on well-known job boards, often as freel…
According to AARP, criminals posing as your bank's security department send texts, emails and robocalls warning of unusual or possibly fraudulent activity on y…
When you search online for a company's payment site, the top result can be a paid search ad that looks like it belongs to the company you want to pay but takes…
According to AARP, citing research published by Malwarebytes on Sept. 29, 2026, a fake Apple-style website offers early iPhone Duo preorders with a $500 vouche…
According to the FTC, scammers clone a real auto dealer's website, often using AI, copying brand logos, vehicle listings, and photos, and sometimes adding fake…
According to the FTC, veterans across the country have reported postcards saying they or their spouse might qualify for extra monthly benefits through a "Veter…
According to the FTC, people have reported scammers covering up legitimate QR codes on parking meters with a QR code of their own. Scanning the fake code can t…
BBB serving the San Francisco Bay Area warned in October 2026 about reports to BBB Scam Tracker of people posing as representatives of DoorDash, UCSF Health, a…
An unexpected text that claims to be from the U.S. Postal Service about a package and includes a link. It might confirm an order, say a package is out for deli…
A caller, usually by unsolicited phone call but sometimes by text or email, claims to be from a US or foreign law enforcement or government agency, often with …
After you comment on a celebrity's social media post, someone posing as the celebrity or their manager messages you, thanks you for your support, and suggests …
Emails made to look like they come from a business you know, often with its logo, say your subscription or membership has expired and ask you to click a link t…
When one of the season's popular toys is sold out in stores, fake websites and social media ads claim to have it in stock, often discounted as a "last-minute d…
Paid "sextortion assistance" companies advertise online that they can stop blackmail threats, keep intimate images from spreading, track perpetrators, and repo…
Scammers exploit the 2026 U.S. midterm elections by using candidates' names, images, logos, and slogans to solicit fake campaign contributions, run ScamPACs wi…
During Open Enrollment for Medicare and the Health Insurance Marketplace, scammers and dishonest businesses pay for search ads and build lookalike sites that u…
Phishing emails that quote real NCL booking details (guest name, ship, departure date, booking number, and sometimes the amount paid) and urge you to verify a …
A text, WhatsApp message, or email claiming your hotel booking is "pending verification" and asking you to click a link to provide requested information. The h…
A listing for a vacation rental on a real platform (in the reported case, a Madrid Retiro apartment on Booking.com) that does not exist. Guests arrive with con…
Emails to hotel staff that look like angry guest complaints or negative reviews and link to a "photo" or similar attachment. The file is actually a Windows sho…
A text claiming you have an outstanding toll (often around $12) and warning of a late fee if you do not click a link to pay. The link impersonates a state toll…
After a prior scam loss, someone claiming to be FBI/IC3 staff (sometimes via AI deepfake video or fake social profiles) says they recovered your money or can u…
Unsolicited calls, texts, emails, or pop-ups claiming to be Apple Support about account compromise, unauthorized charges, or device problems. Scammers may spoo…
Criminals pose as tech or customer support for banks, utilities, antivirus, or crypto exchanges. They claim a device or account issue, push urgency, demand rem…
A package you did not order arrives (often cheap items like wipes, toothpaste, or seeds), sometimes with a QR code claiming to identify the sender or process a…
Companies promise to wipe tax debt for ‘pennies on the dollar,’ sometimes with mail that impersonates the government and deadlines threatening property seizure…
Unexpected calls from fake agencies (e.g., ‘Tax Mediation and Resolution Agency’) saying you owe taxes, offering a ‘red flag check’ or ‘IRS liability reduction…
A stranger builds trust over weeks/months, then pitches high-return crypto investing on a fake platform. Victims buy crypto on real exchanges then transfer to …
Urgent message purporting to be from Amazon, Costco, Walmart, etc., saying a recent order failed a safety review or was recalled, with a link to claim a refund…
Text claiming Amazon did a routine quality inspection, an item does not meet standards or was recalled, and you can get a full refund without returning the ite…
Texts from ‘recruiters’ at known companies offering remote jobs (e.g., online assessor) with pay rates but few details. They ask you to reply YES/INTERESTED, t…
After storms/outages, messages claiming to be your utility say they will restore service faster if you pay or provide information via a link. Unlicensed contra…
Mail urgently asking you to call to verify VIN and mileage to ‘maintain factory warranty,’ sometimes with fake ‘Official Business’ barcodes and no clear compan…
Caller or text claims to be your electric/gas/water company and says service will be shut off today unless you pay immediately — often by gift card, wire, cryp…
Anyone posing as government, a company, a relative, or tech support who insists you pay only with gift cards and read back the codes.
Callers claim Social Security, Medicare, or another agency is suspending benefits or that you face arrest unless you pay or confirm personal information.
A call or message claims a grandchild or relative is in jail, in an accident, or stranded abroad and needs money immediately — often with a ‘lawyer’ or ‘bail b…
Ads or messages promise easy money for simple online tasks, mystery shopping, or ‘platform’ work, then ask for upfront fees, deposits, or for you to send money…
Browse Past Scams → Older scams that are no longer widely reported.