Community Intelligence

"Got this text this morning. The site looked almost exactly like USPS.com. I almost entered my card number but the URL was 'usps-redelivery-notice.com' — not usps.com. Reported to uspis.gov."

"My friend's account sent me a DM saying 'hey I have an extra free Nitro to give you, click this.' The link looked exactly like Discord's site. I typed my username — then got suspicious and closed it. My friend's account had been compromised."

"Got a LinkedIn message from 'Sarah Mitchell' at 'Global Marketing Partners.' Offered me $2,500/week for a remote internship. No interview, just 'send your info.' Then they mailed me a check for $3,800 to 'buy equipment' and keep $500. It's a check cashing scam."

"Got an email saying I was 'selected' for a $5,000 scholarship from the National Education Fund. It looked professional with a logo and everything. Then it asked for a $75 'processing fee' via Venmo. I looked up the organization — it doesn't exist anywhere."

"Got a DM from a girl I barely know saying her company was looking for campus ambassadors. Pay was 'unlimited commission.' Turns out you have to recruit 10 friends first. Classic MLM structure."

"A 'sportswear brand' slid into my DMs offering free leggings for a post. I paid $45 for 'shipping.' Two weeks later, nothing. Their account disappeared. They were posing as a real UK brand but the account was fake."

"Saw this video on my FYP. Looked real — same voice, same mannerisms. The 'official' website looked professional. I sent 0.1 ETH ($340 at the time). Obviously never got anything back. The deepfake technology is terrifying."

"Got a call from '1-800-432-1000' (Chase's actual number). They knew my name and last 4 digits of my card. They said my account was being emptied and to quickly Zelle $1,200 to 'my own account name' — which was a Zelle handle they gave me. Chase confirmed the call was spoofed after I lost the money."

"Received an email saying my Apple ID was used to sign in from Moscow. The design was identical to real Apple emails. I clicked the link and was taken to what looked like appleid.apple.com. The URL was 'id-apple-verify.com.' I caught it before entering my password."

"As a college advisor, I've now seen this email sent to over 30 students at our school this week. The fake site looks exactly like studentaid.gov. Students enter their FSA ID, which gives scammers complete access to their financial aid accounts."

"Got a call from someone claiming to be Amazon saying I was 'accidentally refunded $399' and needed to return it via gift cards to avoid account suspension. They stayed on the phone while I went to Walmart. Luckily the cashier recognized it as a scam and refused to sell the cards."

"Selling a camera for $650. Buyer offered $1,050 via check, said the extra was for 'movers.' Check deposited and showed as available in my bank. I Zelled $400 back. A week later the check bounced. Bank held me responsible. Lost $400 total."

"Got an email from 'Professor Richardson' at my university offering $35/hr remote research work. Looked up the professor — he's real. But the email reply-to was richardsonresearch@gmail.com not the university domain. They wanted my routing number 'to set up payroll.' I reported to the real professor who confirmed his name was being used."

"My 74-year-old mother called me crying. She received a call from someone who sounded EXACTLY like my nephew saying he'd been in an accident and been arrested. A 'lawyer' came on the line. She was about to buy $2,000 in gift cards when she called me to ask for more. We called my nephew — he was home safe. The AI voice was indistinguishable."

"We paid $5,000 to someone claiming to be a former Harvard admissions officer. He wrote generic essays and disappeared after payment. Our daughter was rejected from all schools he 'guaranteed.' He had fake LinkedIn credentials."

"Fake recruiter from 'Microsoft' offered me a $95k/year remote dev role. The interview was a Teams meeting that felt off. They sent a $3,200 check for 'equipment' and told me to buy from their supplier. Checked with the real Microsoft HR — they had no record of this position or recruiter."

"Got an email saying I was selected for a full-ride study abroad scholarship to Spain. I was so excited. Then it asked for a $150 fee. I searched the 'Global Exchange Foundation' on GuideStar and IRS nonprofit search — it doesn't exist."

"Got an email that looked exactly like a real PayPal notification. The design was identical. The link went to a site that had 'paypal' in the URL but wasn't their domain. I was asked for my card number AND my social security number — that's when I knew it was fake."

"Got an email that looked like Netflix saying my payment failed. I almost updated my card through the link, but my husband checked the sender email first — it had nothing to do with netflix.com. Always check the sender!"

"My 70-year-old father called me in a panic after a pop-up said his computer was 'infected and sending virus files to Microsoft.' He called the number. They had him install software and were on his computer for 20 minutes before I got there. They'd viewed his bank account. I shut it down in time, barely."