Types of scams: A Grouped Guide to Checks and Reporting

Different types of scams can share the same underlying demand: send money, reveal credentials, or let another person control an account. The FTC and CFPB group common approaches by the story and action involved. Use the topic list below to identify the closest situation, then check the request through official sources before paying or disclosing personal information.

A name in a message does not establish that the named business or agency sent it. The FTC warns that impersonators borrow familiar identities and alter caller ID. Marketplace and company topics below therefore concern checking transactions and impersonation risks. Assess the specific sender and request instead of drawing conclusions about an entire company from an unexpected contact.

Types of scams involving impersonation

Government and business impersonation can arrive through calls, letters, emails, or social messages. The FTC describes threats about account problems, alleged crimes, and urgent payment demands. Contact the named organization through a genuine website or known app. The phone lookup guidance explains why the number displayed by the incoming call cannot independently establish who is behind the request.

Several types of scams use a relationship as their source of authority. A supposed relative, employer, online partner, or official asks for help and discourages independent checking. The CFPB describes these confidence-based approaches in its fraud overview. Examine the proposed payment separately from the personal story, and discuss the demand with someone trusted before allowing urgency to control the decision.

Pattern	First check
Impersonation	Contact the genuine organization independently.
Advance payment	Examine why payment precedes a promised benefit.
Phishing	Open the real account without the message link.

Types of scams involving payments and offers

Purchase and prize schemes can look different while both requiring money before a promised benefit arrives. The FTC warns about fake merchandise, advance-fee loans, false employment, and prizes requiring payment. Compare what the sender promises with what the recipient must do first. The common scam checks explain recurring warning signs without relying on a particular brand or communication channel.

Other types of scams begin with a payment to the target. The FTC describes fake checks that seem to cover a purchase, wages, or prize costs before the sender asks for money back. Available funds do not show that the check is valid. Do not forward surplus from a deposit because an account screen shows the money can be spent.

Understanding how they work across channels

Phishing messages attempt to capture passwords, account numbers, or identity information through links and attachments. The FTC recommends opening the genuine service independently instead of following a suspicious message. The email scam guide explains these checks. A convincing company logo, familiar greeting, or plausible account notice does not resolve whether the destination website is controlled by the genuine organization.

Investment approaches deserve checks separate from social trust or a displayed balance. Investor.gov provides information about fraud patterns and warns readers to investigate investment offers. The listed investment and relationship topics provide starting points for assessing the request. Do not treat a return shown on a correspondent’s platform as equivalent to money safely held in an independently checked account.

Using this list and choosing a reporting route

The directory of types of scams lists topics rather than allegations against the organizations named in some paths. Each description identifies what readers should check. A payment dispute, misleading advertisement, and criminal impersonation require different evidence and reporting routes. Keep original records and describe the conduct precisely instead of assuming that every unsatisfactory transaction demonstrates deliberate deception by the seller.

Report suspected fraud to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and contact the payment provider immediately when money was sent. For internet-enabled crime, use IC3.gov as appropriate. The reporting guide explains how to organize messages, identities claimed, and transaction details. Public agency reports and requests to reverse a payment serve different purposes and can be pursued alongside each other.

Reporting scam losses and identity exposure

Choose the provider response by how money actually moved, rather than only by the scheme’s name in this directory. FTC guidance recommends promptly asking the original payment company about reversal or reimbursement. A fake-check surplus, romance transfer, and unordered card charge need different explanations. Supply the destination, payment reference, and conduct that connects the selected topic with the actual loss.

For a topic involving captured credentials, secure the specific affected service through its website and change any reused password. FTC guidance recommends multifactor authentication and IdentityTheft.gov for identity misuse. A phishing link, fake hiring portal, and impersonated bank page can create similar account exposures even when the directory places their initial stories under different scam categories for readers to examine.

Recovery pitches can follow losses across the directory, including failed purchases, investment transfers, and false job fees. FTC guidance warns about guaranteed reimbursement in exchange for another advance payment or financial information. Keep the original provider involved. The recovery scam warning signs help evaluate that new conduct as its own payment demand, regardless of the category describing the first incident.

Marketplaces, purchases, and services

Topic path	Check to make
Letgo scams	Check the actual marketplace, seller, and proposed payment before agreeing.
Craigslist scams	Check local exchanges, code requests, and supposed payment guarantees.
OfferUp scams	Compare transaction requests with OfferUp’s current local pickup rules.
Mercari scams	Check orders and use official channels for item problems.
Puppy scams	Verify the animal and seller before paying a deposit.
Backpage.com scams	Assess classified-ad contacts independently before sending money or personal details.
eBay scams	Check the genuine order before following seller payment instructions.
Handyman scam	Check the contractor and written scope before paying for work.
Amazon marketplace scams	Open the genuine account to check claimed purchases or problems.
Alibaba scams	Check the actual supplier and payment terms before purchasing.
Gameflip reviews	Examine the real transaction before following outside payment instructions.
Shopify scams	Check the individual merchant instead of relying on storefront appearance.
Airbnb scams	Verify the reservation through the genuine booking account before paying.
Gaming scams	Check payment and account requests involving games or digital items.

Jobs, credit, banking, and payments

Topic path	Check to make
Job scams	Check recruiters and refuse payments demanded to obtain promised work.
Loan scams	Check lender identity and guaranteed approval tied to advance fees.
Bank fraud	Contact the bank independently about unexpected account and transfer instructions.
PayPal scams	Check the genuine account before paying an unexpected invoice.
Fake check scams	Do not forward money against a stranger’s deposited check.
Collection agency scams	Check the collector and claimed debt before discussing payment.
Reshipping job	Examine jobs that require receiving and forwarding other people’s packages.
Microsoft refund scam	Check the original provider before sharing details for an unexpected refund.
Credit card fraud	Contact the card issuer directly about suspicious transactions or messages.
Crypto scams	Examine cryptocurrency payment demands and promises of easy returns.
Mortgage modification scams	Check the provider before paying for promised mortgage relief.
Cash App scams	Use the actual payment account to check transfers and messages.
Debt consolidation scams	Examine debt-help offers and payment demands before enrolling.
Financial fraud	Check financial offers independently of the person promoting them.

Government, utility, and business impersonation

Topic path	Check to make
IRS scams	Check tax demands and refund messages through IRS.gov.
Social Security scams	Check threats about Social Security numbers through genuine SSA channels.
Medicare scams	Protect Medicare details and review claimed services or benefits.
FBI scams on cell phones	Check law-enforcement identity claims before responding to financial demands.
WCAB scam	Check the exact agency named in a benefits-related message.
Dominion Energy scam	Verify the utility account through the provider’s genuine contact route.
Microsoft scams	Check computer-support claims through genuine manufacturer support channels.
Apple scams	Check account alerts independently through the genuine service.
Amazon Prime scams	Review membership and billing through the actual account.
ITunes scam emails about Netflix	Examine gift card and account payment demands before responding.
Netflix scams	Check membership and payment messages in the genuine account.
AT&T scams	Verify telecommunications billing and account messages through the actual provider.
Insurance scams	Check the provider and policy before paying for promised coverage.
USPS and UPS scams	Check a shipment independently before following a delivery-fee message.

Relationships, threats, prizes, and donations

Topic path	Check to make
Romance scams	Examine money requests from online romantic contacts before paying.
Lottery scams	Reject fees demanded to collect a supposedly free prize.
`/us-military-scams/`	Check military identity claims used to support a personal money request.
Facebook blackmail scam	Preserve threats and seek official help before responding to payment demands.
Extortion scams	Document coercive messages and report threats through official channels.
Grandparents scam	Contact the relative independently before sending emergency assistance.
Psychic scams	Examine payment demands tied to promised supernatural help or outcomes.
Love spell scams	Pause before paying for promised control over another person’s feelings.
Sugar daddy scams	Check arrangements that require paying before receiving promised financial support.
Advance-fee scams	Assess advance-payment stories by conduct rather than assumed nationality.
Donation scams	Check the exact charity and intended recipient before donating.
Suspected mail fraud	Keep the envelope and contents when reporting deceptive mailed offers.

Topic path	Check to make
Email scams	Check links, attachments, and account claims before responding.
Phone scams	Verify unexpected callers independently instead of trusting caller ID.
SMS scams	Verify unexpected text instructions through a genuine service.
Phishing scams	Open accounts independently before entering credentials from message prompts.
Western Union scams on Instagram	Check profiles, direct messages, and payment requests independently.
Facebookmail scam	Check listings and contacts before transferring money or sharing codes.
Twitter scams	Assess account messages independently before following financial instructions.
Snapchat scam	Examine messages seeking money, access codes, or personal information.
Skype scams	Check the correspondent before following payment or account instructions.
WhatsApp scams	Verify contacts independently when a message requests money or credentials.
Hangouts scams	Check chat-based job or relationship offers before sending money.
Survey scams	Examine promised rewards and requests for payment or personal details.
Tech support scams	Find support independently instead of calling an alarming pop-up number.
Tech support scams	Check unexpected technical diagnoses before allowing remote computer access.

Overviews and reporting

Topic path	Check to make
Types of scams	Choose a topic by the request and conduct involved.
Common scams	Compare recurring pressure, impersonation, and payment warning signs.
What to do if you’ve been scammed	Organize messages and payments for the relevant official reporting route.

Scam types explained

Questions and answers

Can one incident fit more than one scam category?

Yes. The FTC describes recurring techniques such as impersonation, urgent payment demands, and phishing across different stories. A fake job may also use a counterfeit check, while a relationship approach may introduce an investment platform. Assess each requested action separately.

Does a company topic mean the company committed fraud?

A named company may be impersonated by someone else. The FTC warns that scammers use familiar business names and logos. Check the sender, actual account, and transaction instructions independently before attributing a suspicious request to the organization it claims to represent.

Which records are useful after a suspected scam?

Keep the original messages, relevant account identifiers, receipts, and transaction details. The payment provider needs information about the transfer, while a platform needs the listing or profile involved. Describe what the sender claimed and what records actually show separately.

Should a payment dispute wait for an agency report?

The FTC advises contacting the company used to send money immediately and asking about reversal or refund. Filing a public agency report serves a separate purpose. Prepare accurate records for both processes without waiting for an investigation before contacting the payment provider.

Does the scam category determine whether a payment can be reversed?

The FTC recommends promptly asking the actual payment provider about repayment, whatever story induced the transfer. Describe both the method and conduct: a fake job involving a check presents different evidence from an impersonator requesting cryptocurrency. A directory category alone does not establish the available financial remedy.

How should account security be prioritized when several scam tactics overlap?

Identify the credential actually exposed, then secure that service and replace reused passwords. FTC guidance recommends multifactor authentication and official recovery processes. A fake shopping notice and a bogus bank alert can both steal logins, so the recovery action should follow the exposure rather than just the story's category.

Does choosing a reporting category replace an identity-theft recovery plan?

No. When a scam involves misuse of personal information, the FTC points victims to IdentityTheft.gov for tailored steps. Record what information was taken in addition to selecting the relevant scam topic. Recovering account access and challenging payments remain separate tasks even when one incident involves several tactics.

Why might a second recovery pitch deserve its own scam record?

The FTC warns that people who lost money may receive new offers promising repayment for an upfront charge. Preserve that message separately from the original incident, including its claimed organization and fee. Contact the original provider about the first payment instead of treating the second pitch as a remedy.

Sources

How To Avoid a Scam · Federal Trade Commission
What are some common types of fraud and scams? · Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Scams · Federal Trade Commission
Types of Fraud · US Securities and Exchange Commission
How To Recognize and Avoid Phishing Scams · Federal Trade Commission
How To Spot, Avoid, and Report Fake Check Scams · Federal Trade Commission
What To Do if You Were Scammed · Federal Trade Commission
Refund and Recovery Scams · Federal Trade Commission