Scam Database

Verified-looking accounts impersonating celebrities run 'giveaways' asking followers to DM their email and Venmo handle to 'receive their prize.' Data harvested for phishing.

Following natural disasters, fake organizations with legitimate-sounding names (e.g., 'American Disaster Relief Fund') solicit donations by phone and online.

Email claiming you've been selected for a $5,000 scholarship from the 'National Education Fund.' Requires a $75 processing fee to claim. The organization doesn't exist.

Social media ad targets students with 2.5+ GPA for a '$2,000 instant award.' The application form collects SSN and bank routing numbers.

Mailed letter congratulates students on being selected for the 'Merit Scholars Foundation Award.' A $50 registration fee is required to 'activate' the award.

Text from random number: 'Congratulations! You have been selected for a $1,500 scholarship. Reply YES to claim before midnight.' Leads to data harvesting site.

Text or email notifying students of an 'Academic Excellence Award.' To receive it, you must register at a fake website that collects personal information and a $30 fee.

Instagram ad promotes a 'Global Education Scholarship' covering study abroad costs. Application collects personal info and a $200 'commitment deposit' that is never refunded.

Craigslist posting for a personal assistant to a 'traveling executive.' Job requires you to run errands with funds from a check they mail you. Check is fraudulent.

LinkedIn job posting for a virtual assistant to a 'CEO.' High pay with minimal requirements. Ultimately involves processing payments through your personal bank account.

Legitimate-looking posting for a digital marketing internship. After accepting, intern is sent a $2,000 check for 'software licenses' and asked to send gift cards as payment.

Email offers $300-500 to shop at Walmart or Target and evaluate customer service. Victim is sent a check, told to cash it, keep a portion, and wire the rest to a 'supervisor.'

Email purportedly from a university professor offering a paid remote research position. Requires payment for 'academic database access' before work begins.

Hired as a 'social media manager' for a brand. Required to promote fake crypto investment platforms to your followers. Unfollows and account bans result.

Recruited on Instagram for a 'Campus Brand Ambassador' role selling wellness supplements. Must buy $200 of product to start and only earns by recruiting others — a pyramid scheme.

Accounts with 100-500 followers receive DMs from 'brands' offering paid sponsorships. They ask for your Venmo to 'send an advance payment' that never arrives — or send a check for overpayment.

Email claims to be from a PR agency seeking influencers. Requires filling out a form with detailed personal information and bank account details for 'payment setup.'

User on Snapchat offers $500/week allowance for 'just chatting.' Requests your Venmo to 'send money' — actually needs it to pull money from your linked bank account.

DM from an account claiming to offer 'Instagram verification' for a fee. They collect payment and login credentials, then use your account for spam before locking you out.

Email from 'Microsoft Security Team' warns your account password expired and must be reset immediately via the included link. Harvests Microsoft credentials.

Email mimicking Google's design warns of 'suspicious sign-in activity.' The 'Secure Account' button leads to a phishing page capturing your Google credentials.

Email claiming your PayPal account has been 'limited' and requires verification. Collecting SSN, full name, card details, and bank account on a fake PayPal page.

Text or email claiming 'Your Apple ID has been locked due to suspicious activity.' Link takes victims to a convincing fake Apple login page.

Email from 'Netflix' claims your payment was declined and your account will be suspended. Link collects credit card details on a fake Netflix billing page.

Text claiming FedEx couldn't deliver a package and you must pay a $1.99 'rescheduling fee' to arrange a new delivery window. Leads to a full payment info collection site.

Email or text from 'UPS' with a tracking number attached claiming a package requires signature confirmation. Clicking leads to a site that installs malware or collects payment info.

Email claiming your international package is being held at customs and requires a $23 fee to release it. No package exists.

Text with a tracking code that 'requires activation' by clicking a link. The site is a phishing page designed to steal personal information and credit card details.

Instagram account with luxury cars and watches promotes 'forex signals' for $200/month. The trading advice consistently loses money; withdrawals from the 'partner broker' are blocked.

YouTube ad promotes a $997 trading course promising to teach a 'guaranteed winning system.' System doesn't work; refunds are denied.

Investment club promising 10-15% monthly returns through 'exclusive market intelligence.' Initial investors receive payments funded by new investors — a Ponzi scheme.

Added to a WhatsApp group of 'investors' sharing tips. A 'professor' advises buying specific stocks or crypto. All members are fake bots driving up a pump-and-dump scheme.

Doctor, engineer, or oil rig worker 'working abroad' falls in love rapidly on Facebook or dating apps. After months of contact, they need money for an emergency or travel back.

Profile with model-quality photos contacts target on Tinder or Bumble. Relationship progresses quickly; profile refuses video calls. Eventually asks for money or gift cards.

Online relationship partner claims a sudden emergency (medical, legal, accident) and begs for immediate financial help via wire transfer, Zelle, or crypto. The emergency is fabricated.

Scammer initiates a video call and displays pre-recorded explicit content, claiming to capture the victim on camera. Demands payment to prevent sharing the footage.

Caller claims Medicare is issuing new cards and needs to 'verify your account' with your Medicare number, SSN, and bank information. Medicare never calls to verify account details.

Caller claims to be from your electric company and threatens to shut off power in 30 minutes unless you pay an overdue bill with Google Play or iTunes gift cards.

Robocall: 'Your Social Security number has been suspended due to suspicious activity. Press 1 to speak with an officer or face immediate legal action.' Complete fabrication — SSNs cannot be suspended.

Text or call claiming Amazon detected an unauthorized $1,400 iPhone purchase on your account. Press 1 to dispute. Connects to scammer who asks for account details and payment.

Company charges $500-$1,500 to 'apply for federal student loan forgiveness' on your behalf. All genuine forgiveness programs are free through studentaid.gov.

Received a text saying 'USPS: Your package has been held due to an incorrect address. Update your information here.' The link led to a page that looked like USPS but the URL was usps-delivery-update.com. The page asked for full name, address, and credit card to pay a $1.99 redelivery fee.

Someone sent me a DM on Discord saying I could get free Discord Nitro by clicking a link. The link redirected to a fake Discord login page that looked nearly identical to the real one. It was designed to steal my Discord username and password. After checking, the URL was discordgift.org instead of discord.com.

A TikTok account with 100k followers promoted a crypto investment platform claiming 500% returns in 30 days. The platform's website was only 2 weeks old and had no regulatory registration. After depositing $100, I couldn't withdraw any funds and the platform disappeared within a week.

Received an email claiming I was selected for a $5,000 scholarship from the 'National Education Fund.' The email asked me to pay a $50 processing fee before receiving the funds. The sender's email was from a Gmail address, not an official .edu or .org domain. Legitimate scholarships never require payment to receive awards.

A fake brand account on Instagram with 50k followers messaged me about a 'brand ambassador' opportunity. They said I'd get free products but needed to pay $30 for shipping. After paying, I never received anything and the account blocked me. The account had no verified badge and all comments on their posts were from bot accounts.

Found a job listing for 'Remote Data Entry Associate' paying $45/hour with no experience required. After applying, they asked me to buy a 'training software kit' for $200 before starting. They communicated only through Telegram and couldn't provide a company website or LinkedIn page. The company name didn't show up in any business registry.