This scam chart outlines some common scams to watch for this year and offers tips to help you spot and avoid them. Be sure to check out our sister article entitled Increasing Scam Awareness Part I which highlights valuable scam information designed to keep you safe.
| Type of Scam | Brief description | Typical signs of a scam |
| Advanced Fee & Recovery Schemes | In this scam, victims pay money to someone in anticipation of receiving something of greater value, such as a loan, contract, investment, or gift. Meanwhile, the victim receives nothing or little in return and faces financial loss. | Scammers offer fake loans, services, or investment opportunities but require an upfront fee or tax or commission to deliver the proceeds. The main sign of this scam is having to give money to get money. |
| AI Voice Scams (like the Grandparent Scam) | AI scams use artificial intelligence to trick and exploit people. In the grandparent scam, scammers call and pretend to be a grandchild in distress and ask for money, playing off the emotions of a grandparent and their desire to help. Sometimes voice-synthesis technology is used to mimic real human voices. | Scammers use AI generated voices to pull off this sudden emergency scam that requires money to fix. Commonly, scammers pressure victims to act fast, ask them to keep secrets, and tell them to pay in untraceable forms of payment like gift cards – all signs of scams. |
| Computer Tech Support Scams (e.g. pretending to represent Microsoft or Apple) | Scammers call their victims and ask for “remote access” to their computers to diagnose a problem or use pop-up alerts to pull off this scam. Scammers pretend to represent legitimate companies and trick people into believing their computer or device has a problem like a virus so they can steal their information, money, or gain control of their device. | Scammers pretend to want to help individuals by asking for remote access to their computer to diagnose a fake problem. Next, they demand high fees or service charges for repairs. Or they may install malware or ransomware to create a real problem. Unsolicited calls from technicians or sudden warnings that pop up are signs of tech support scams. |
| Digital Arrest Threats | Digital arrest scams are a form of cyber extortion where fraudsters impersonate law enforcement or government officials. They falsely accuse victims of a crime and place them under “digital arrest” where they use intimidation and continuous video calls to force people into paying money or divulging sensitive data. This authority-impersonation cyber-attack is growing and uses fear to extort money. | Understand that law enforcement or government officials will not reach out to you by email, phone, video call, or text to place you under arrest. Nor will they ever use intimidation, force, or threats to get you to pay them. Asking you to keep secrets or act quick are scam signs, too. |
| Fake Payment/Refund Scams | Here, scammers trick victims into sending them money or sensitive information by falsely claiming a refund is owed or an accidental overpayment has been made. Or they may say they’ve discovered lost funds that they can recover for a fee. Scammers promise to help individuals get their money back – but the catch is one must pay them first. This is all part of the elaborate scam. | If you get a call, email or text from out of the blue saying that you have a refund payment coming your way, but you need to “verify” your account information or make a payment first signals a scam. You should not have to pay money to get money – or give out personal information to get a refund. |
| Elder Financial Healthcare Scams/Medicare Fraud | Here, bad actors or unscrupulous medical providers use deceptive practices against older adults to illegally bill Medicare. Scammers may attempt to file false medical claims or sell unnecessary equipment to seniors. Frequently, scammers seek to take advantage of older adults with cognitive decline or try to confuse them to pull off this financial exploitation. If you are a victim of healthcare fraud, promptly report it to Medicare, your insurance and banking institution, etc. | Protect your personal and health information by regularly staying on top of all medical bills. This means examining explanations of service, service dates, provider names and more. Signs of this fraud may include unfamiliar claims, unexplained account charges, unpaid bills, unauthorized withdrawals, etc. Report scams promptly. |
| Employment Scams (Sometimes using Deepfake videos or job platforms like Indeed, LinkedIn, or social media) | Employment scams are fraudulent job listings that are created by criminals to steal their victim’s money or personal information. Scammers often pose as legitimate companies or job platforms to reach potential victims. In addition to lying about their identity, they often promise high pay or flexible part-time hours that seem too good to believe. Scammers frequently ask for upfront payments for bogus reasons or ask their target to provide their SSN or bank account number as part of the hiring process. | Signs of this scam include unsolicited job offers that sound too good to be true, asking for upfront payments for training or background checks, or sending you a check and asking you to buy something and wire back the surplus (these checks will bounce and you’ll be out money). Chat only interviews or asking for sensitive information early – like your driver’s license, Social Security, or banking account info. indicate a scam. |
| Fake Charity Scams | Fake charity scams are exactly what they sound like – not real charities. Here, fraudsters exploit compassion and kindness by stealing money or personal data under the guise of a charitable organization. Criminals may impersonate an existing organization or make one up – sometimes using sound-alike names. | Scammers may pressure potential victims by pushing urgency of the donation. This is a common sign of a fake charity scam. Other red flags may include asking you to provide personal information or asking for payment by unusual methods like cash, wire transfers, gift cards, or cryptocurrency. Always independently verify legitimacy of charities before donating. For true charities, pay by traceable check or credit card. |
| Homeowner Scams/Deed Fraud | Homeowner scams are fraudulent schemes in which criminals apply high-pressure tactics, phishing, or identity theft to steal property titles, mortgage payments or home equity. Deed fraud, or home title theft, includes forging documents to steal property ownership. Scammers can then sell the home, take out a mortgage, or rent it for profit. | Watch out for aggressive “We buy Houses” offers and wholesalers offering cash for homes. Also be on guard for foreclosure relief that comes unsolicited. Sometimes scammers pressure their victims. Anyone pressuring you for personal information or payment to “close a deal quick” is likely a scammer. |
| Home Repair Scams | Fraudsters will knock on the door, leave flyers in the mailbox, or contact potential victims by phone or message to offer repair work. They will likely say they found a serious (often fake) problem with the home or property and offer to fix it for a deal. Then, they will demand cash or another unusual payment upfront for a given service and fail to do adequate repairs, if at all, leaving homeowners in the lurch. If a pricy repair is suggested, get a second professional evaluation from a trustworthy business. | Don’t open the door to strangers and never allow people you don’t know into your home. Just because a company has a flyer, doesn’t mean they are trustworthy or qualified. Always independently verify company legitimacy and read customer reviews and recommendations. Requiring cash, gift cards, prepaid debit cards or other hard-to-trace payment upfront is a typical sign of a scam. |
| Impersonation Scams (like impersonating the IRS or the Sheriff’s Office) | Scammers pretend to represent official businesses or government organizations to pull off their trickery. Sometimes, they spoof phone numbers to gain trust of their potential victims. Scammers often claim that individuals owe money or will be arrested for not paying an outstanding bill. This is all part of the impersonation scam. | Understand that professional organizations like the IRS tend to do business by US Mail – so emails or texts that come randomly are likely scams. Additionally, the Sheriff’s Office will not contact you to threaten arrest – nor will they demand money from you. Those are red flags of scams. |
| Innocent Text Scams (also called the wrong number scam) | In a wrong number scam, scammers purposely send out a seemingly innocent text message to many people – such as “What would you like for dinner tonight?” – hoping that a potential victim will respond with “You have the wrong number.” Their goal is to engage and befriend potential victims, form a relationship to gain trust, and then ask for financial help, gifts, money – or steal personal information. | It’s never a good idea to respond to a wrong text message. Simply ignore and delete it as it is a sign of a scam. Scammers want to engage their potential victims. They may seem nice and caring, and even send a photo (frequently a stolen image), which is all part of grooming their victims for money. But they will never meet in person because they don’t really exist. |
| Investment & Pig Butchering Scams | Investment scams trick people into investing in something with the false promise of high financial returns. One example is a Ponzi scheme, a form of fraud that lures investors and pays profits to earlier investors with funds from more recent ones – which is a crime. Pig-butchering is a form of online relationship and investment fraud and often involves fraudulent cryptocurrency scams. | Promises of high returns with no risk, unregistered investments, complex or secretive strategies, pressure to invest immediately or miss the opportunity, and guarantees of future wealth are red flags of investment scams. These indicate unethical “get rich quick” schemes. |
| Lottery and Prize Scams | In lottery and prize scams, individuals get a call, email or letter saying they won a sweepstakes, lottery or prize. The contact typically comes out of the blue and relates to contests people did not enter. Scammers commonly ask people to claim money or provide their account number to get the prize that either doesn’t exist or is absolute junk. | You can tell it’s a scam particularly if you didn’t enter a legitimate contest. A most definitive sign is asking winners to pay fees, taxes, or processing charges to get their prize. Scammers may also try to steal bank info or Social Security numbers – so never give those out. Also watch out for fake contests designed to steal your money or personal data. |
| QR Code Scams/Quishing | These scams, also known as quishing, are ones that involve the creation of malicious QR codes to deceive users. Once these counterfeit QR codes are scanned, they take people to fraudulent websites designed to steal personal information and money, perform malicious applications, or carry out phishing attacks. | Be wary of QR codes that come from unknown senders. Avoid scanning QR codes that are in public spaces like those posted on parking meters that may be easily tampered with. To avoid this scam, only scan QR codes that you know and trust to be safe. |
| Romance Scams | Fraudsters scam people seeking companionship. They tend to target people who are living alone, isolated, or are lonely such as a recent widow. They will lavish their victims with attention, eventually promising a life together as part of the scam. However, they will make excuses why they can’t meet in person because they don’t really exist. For instance, they may falsely claim to live abroad, be in the military, or do charity work. Often, they will demand money for emergencies or offer investment opportunities which are ultimately scams. | Wrong number texts, messages on social media, or dating apps are often how scammers reach their victims. Romance scammers will invest a lot of time grooming their victims – messaging for weeks or months to gain the victim’s trust and make an emotional connection before asking for support, money, or gifts. They will stop at nothing – even draining the life savings of their victims in extreme cases. On monitored dating apps, to avoid being caught, scammers may attempt to move the conversation from the app, a big red flag of a scam. |
| Subscription Scams | Subscription scams trick individuals into signing up for unwanted subscriptions or services that are hard to cancel, have hidden fees, or renew automatically without approval. Scammers sometimes use deceptive tactics such as offering free trials or a gift (potentially not real) to entice victims to sign up. Or they may create fake subscriptions to steal financial and other data. | Scam subscription offers often come via unsolicited emails asking for payment information or urging immediate action. Other signs include being asked trick questions during account creation, odd recurring service charges, or being automatically opted in for renewals. For safety, avoid unsolicited emails altogether. |
| Tax Scams | Tax scams are popular cons that are typically related to impersonation scams, whereby scammers pretend to represent the IRS or other tax professionals. Here’s how it often works: Scammers contact potential victims to say that they owe back taxes or are due a refund. The scammer’s goal is to steal money or personal information, such as a Social Security number. Note that some tax scams are sophisticated, including scammers sending out fake forms that look real or spoofing phone numbers to promote their fraud. Messages from scammers may also contain harmful links or attachments – so do not engage. | The IRS typically contacts people by US mail, not by email or text message. Common red flags of scams include messages bearing threats of fines, lawsuits, arrests, deportations, demands for payment via gift cards or cryptocurrency, or promises of big tax refunds or tax credits. Scammers often ask for PINS or SSNs to file fraudulent tax returns or claim tax returns in their victim’s name. Never give these out. Check the status of your taxes exclusively through the official IRS website – never through random emails or texts received. |
| Toll Road Payment Scams | This scam involves messages that falsely appear to come from a state toll agency. Scammers may say you have unpaid tolls and warn of fines, arrest, or vehicle towing if you do not pay right away. These claims are false. The messages may also include payment links or malicious content, so do not respond. If you think the notice might be legitimate, check your account through the official toll agency website or app you normally use. | Signs of this scam are obvious if you haven’t traveled. But they can also be hard to decipher due to the ability of scammers to spoof numbers or create realistic looking notices. Never respond directly to messages. If you believe you owe a fine, check your account with the toll agency directly – never through any links or phone numbers sent by a potential scammer. |
| Online Shopping Scams (masquerading as Amazon or Walmart for example) | Online shopping scams involve cybercriminals setting up fake websites or deceptive social media ads designed to steal your money or personal information. They often create look-alike shopping sites to trick customers and offer deals too good to be true or counterfeit products. | Signs of this scam include unbelievably low prices for high-demand items, shady payment requests, strange URLs or misspelled web addresses, and advertisements through poorly monitored social media platforms. |
*Note that these are a mini sampling of the many scams in existence. Click on the highlighted word to gain more information on these scams.
Disclosure: This article is purely informational and is not intended as a substitute for professional advice.
Better take a serious look at Humana. I was promised all thew good stuff. No co-pay at doctor- BILL89.36 i DON’T CALL THAT NO CO-PAY First MD bill in 20 years/ 35 co-pay at specialist BILL 110 DOLLARS. bECAUSE i AM LOW INCOME STATE PAYS MY CO-PAY FOR PRESCRIPTIONS BILL 510 EACH. $40 FOR BLOOD TESTS. i TALKED TO MEDICARE AND STATE WAS PAYING PRESCRIPTION CO-PAYS AND SO WAS I.
sO STUCK WITH OVER $300 IN MEDICAL BILLS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 20 YEARS. MANAGED TO CHANGE TO ANOTHER COMPANY. bUT, SCARED TO DOCTOR NOW, JUST SUCH A RISK.
bY THE WAY IT WAS SOMEONE FROM YOU WHO TALKED ME INTO HUMANA
I’M 82 DIDN’T NEED THIS PROBLEM
Most of the scams we are warned of are relatively big dollar scams. I was hit twice, or because I balance my check book my bank was hit twice, by a rather big con that takes under $50 at a time. Here is how it works. The con men obtain a list of thousands of checking account numbers and the bank account of a defunct company. They issue thousands of checks for under $50 with “electronic signature” on them. By the time the con is caught, the perps are gone with tens of thousands of dollars. What is specially bad, while your bank is 100% libel for these checks, they will try to make you go through so much trouble that you may feel it’s not worth the effort.
Oh & one other thing…If you have a cell phone. Do not make it your primary source of communications and limit its use. Be aware of your surroundings when you use it.
The best thing to do is to delete all social media accounts. Delete all unsolicited emails. Do as much business in person and pay by check or cash as much as possible. Always ask for and get receipts. Keep and use your landline telephone to make important calls involving transactions. Stay as disconnected as possible. It works (so far) for me.
Everyone who is against the Death Penalty for Scammers raise your hands. Hmmm…I don’t see any raised hands!
Excellent article. I am a recent victim of pig butchering scam.
Grok was my best friend in verifying that I needed to disengage from the person I thought was befriending me.