Types of common scams identified around the world and at home.
* SEXTORTION *
Sextortion
Criminals threaten to share intimate images, videos, or false claims unless money is paid. They use fear, shame, and urgency to force victims into silence.
Romance
Romance Scams
A scammer builds emotional trust over time, then invents emergencies or investment opportunities to extract money and personal details.
Banking fraud
Banking fraud
Victims are manipulated into transferring money, revealing credentials, or authorising payments after contact from a fake bank or “security team”.
Captcha
Captcha
Criminals use fake CAPTCHA checks to trick people into copying commands, enabling permissions, or downloading malware disguised as a simple “prove you’re human” step.
Bank Card
Card fraud
Criminals trick people into revealing card details, security codes, or one-time passcodes, then use them for purchases or account abuse.
Catfish
Catfish
Criminals create fake identities online to build trust, form emotional relationships, or manipulate victims into sending money, sharing personal details, or exposing private information.
Charity
Charity
Criminals exploit kindness by pretending to collect for real or fake causes, disasters, or vulnerable people, stealing donations instead of helping those in need.Crypto
Crypto
Criminals promise quick profits, fake investments, or exclusive opportunities, then steal money through bogus trading platforms, wallet access requests, or pressure to transfer cryptocurrency.
Delivery
Delivery
Fake parcel notifications claim a missed delivery, customs fee, or redelivery charge and push you to click a malicious link.
Fakes
Fakes
Criminals advertise counterfeit, poor-quality, or non-existent products, often using stolen images, fake reviews, and bargain prices to take payment without delivering what was promised.
Holidays
Holidays scams
Travel offers, fake accommodation, cloned booking pages, and pressured deposits are common in holiday-related scams.
Identity theft
Identity theft
Criminals gather enough personal data to impersonate you, open accounts, bypass security checks, or misuse your financial identity.
Impersonation
Impersonation scams
Scammers pretend to be banks, police, delivery firms, HMRC, employers, or someone you trust to pressure you into action.
Investments
Investment fraud
High returns, low risk, and urgency are common hooks. The money is often unrecoverable once sent to the fraudster.
Invoice
Invoice and mandate
Payment details are altered so regular invoices or supplier payments are redirected into a criminal’s bank account.
Job
Jobs
Criminals advertise fake roles to steal money, personal documents, or bank details, often promising easy work, high pay, or asking for upfront fees.
Loan Fees
Loan Fees
Criminal offer guaranteed loans, then demand upfront fees for approval, insurance, or processing. Once paid, the loan never appears and the scammer disappears.
Lottery
Lottery / Prizes
Criminals claim you have won a prize or jackpot, then demand fees, taxes, or personal details before releasing winnings that do not exist.
Online
Online scams
Fake emails, cloned websites, bogus social profiles, and malicious links are used to steal money, passwords, and personal information.
Parking
Parking
Criminals use fake parking websites, QR codes, texts, or penalty notices to steal card details, personal information, or payments for charges that are not genuine.
Payment in advance
Payment in advance
You are told to pay first for fees, deposits, clearance, transport, tax, or release of funds, but the promised result never appears.
Phishing
Phishing
Criminals send fake emails, texts, or messages pretending to be trusted organisations, tricking people into clicking links, revealing passwords, or sharing personal and financial details.Pig Butchering
Pig Butchering
Criminals build trust over time, often romantically or socially, then persuade victims into fake investments before draining their money and disappearing.
Ponzi
Ponzi
Criminals promise high returns and pay earlier investors using money from new victims, creating the illusion of profit until the scheme collapses.
Purchase
Purchase scams
Criminals advertise goods or services that do not exist, are counterfeit, or never arrive after payment is made.
QR Code
QR Code
Criminals place fake QR codes on posters, parking meters, emails, or parcels, sending victims to malicious websites that steal payments, logins, or personal details.
Recovery
Recovery
Criminals target previous scam victims, claiming they can recover lost money for a fee, then steal more through false legal, refund, or investigation promises.
Ticket
Ticket
Criminal sell fake, duplicated, or non-existent tickets for concerts, travel, sports, or events, taking payment before disappearing or leaving victims denied entry.