Understanding common scam types is your first line of defense. Below are the schemes Americans report most often, with warning signs and links to in-depth guides.
Top protection guides
Advance-Fee & 419 Fraud
Wire & partnership scams
Romance Scams
Dating & catfishing red flags
Phishing & Smishing
Text & email fraud
Bank & Zelle Fraud
Impersonation & refunds
Investment & Crypto
Pig butchering & fake platforms
Government Impersonation
IRS, Medicare & refunds
Medicare Phone Scams
Robocalls & benefits fraud
Tech Support Scams
Fake virus pop-ups
How to use this scam types library
Scammers reuse the same psychological playbook across categories — urgency, authority, secrecy, and irreversible payment methods. This page groups the schemes Americans report most often so you can recognize the pattern before you lose money or share sensitive data.
Each section below explains how the scam works, the warning signs our editors track, and links to step-by-step protection guides. Start with the category that matches your situation, then follow cross-links to payment fraud, identity theft, and official reporting resources.
- New to fraud prevention? Read Stay Safe for everyday habits that block most attacks.
- Already lost money? Go to Get Help for account freezes, evidence, and agency reporting.
- Want to warn others? Submit a community report after you secure your accounts.
Advance-Fee & 419 Fraud
Strangers offer partnerships, inheritances, or government refunds — but require upfront fees to release funds.
Warning signs: Unsolicited offers, secrecy requests, free webmail senders, upfront processing fees.
Romance Scams
Perpetrators build emotional relationships online, then invent emergencies requiring money transfers, gift cards, or cryptocurrency.
Warning signs: Refusal to meet in person, rapid declarations of love, requests for travel, medical, or customs fees.
Investment & Crypto Fraud
Scammers promise guaranteed returns through fake trading platforms, Ponzi schemes, or cryptocurrency wallets.
Warning signs: Guaranteed high returns, unlicensed brokers, crypto wallet transfers, inability to withdraw funds.
Zelle & Payment App Fraud
Scammers impersonate banks and claim you must Zelle money to reverse fraud. Real banks never ask for peer-to-peer transfers to fix unauthorized payments.
Warning signs: Spoofed caller ID, urgency, instructions to Zelle yourself, requests for OTP codes.
Phishing & Smishing
Deceptive emails, texts, or calls impersonate banks, delivery services, or government agencies to steal credentials.
Warning signs: Urgent language, suspicious links, mismatched sender addresses, password or code requests.
Authority Impersonation (IRS, SSA, Medicare, Police)
Scammers pose as IRS agents, Social Security Administration officials, police, Medicare representatives, or tech support to intimidate victims into immediate payment. SSA impersonation is currently one of the highest-volume scam categories reported to the FTC.
Warning signs: Threats of arrest, claims your SSN has been "suspended," gift card or wire demands, caller ID spoofing, pressure to act immediately, requests to keep the call secret.
Gift Card Payment Fraud
Legitimate agencies never accept iTunes, Amazon, or Visa gift cards as payment. Scammers coach victims to read card numbers over the phone.
Warning signs: Gift card payment requests, secrecy at checkout, IRS or utility bill paid by card, photographed PINs.
Elder & Family Emergency Fraud
Grandparent scams claim a relative is in jail or injured. AI voice cloning now mimics family members in fake emergency calls.
Warning signs: Urgent wire or gift card demands, secrecy from other relatives, refusal to verify by callback.
Employment Fraud
Fake job postings require upfront payments for training, equipment, or background checks. Some involve money-mule schemes.
Warning signs: Offers without interviews, payment before starting, vague descriptions, unsolicited email offers.
Business Email Compromise (BEC)
Attackers impersonate executives or vendors to trick employees into wiring money or changing payment details.
Warning signs: Urgent wire requests, spoofed domains, last-minute invoice changes, secrecy pressure.
Loan Scams
Fraudsters pose as lenders offering guaranteed approval, then demand upfront fees. Legitimate lenders never require payment to release funds.
Warning signs: Upfront fees, guaranteed approval regardless of credit, gift card or crypto payment demands.
Online Marketplace Fraud
Fake listings, bait-and-switch sellers, and bogus payment screenshots target buyers and sellers on Facebook Marketplace and similar platforms.
Warning signs: Prices far below market, off-platform payments, fake buyer overpayments, refusal to meet in person.
Tech Support Pop-Up Scams
Fake virus warnings in your browser push you to call a fraudulent support line and grant remote access.
Warning signs: Full-screen alerts, toll-free numbers in pop-ups, gift card payment requests.
Lottery & Prize Scams
Victims are told they won a prize but must pay fees or taxes upfront to claim it.
Warning signs: Prizes you never entered, processing fees, secrecy requests, official impersonation.
Package Delivery Smishing (USPS, UPS, FedEx)
Fake "delivery issue" text messages pretend to be from USPS, UPS, FedEx, Amazon, or DHL and ask you to pay a small fee or update an address. The link harvests card details or installs malware.
Warning signs: Texts about packages you didn't order, tiny "redelivery fees" ($1–$3), look-alike domains (usps-redelivery.example), pressure to act today.
Utility Shutoff Scams
Callers claim to be from your electric, gas, or water company and threaten to shut off service within the hour unless you pay immediately — usually by prepaid card, cryptocurrency, or wire.
Warning signs: Threats to disconnect "in the next 30 minutes," demands for gift card or crypto payment, spoofed utility caller ID, refusal to let you call back through the number on your bill.
Deepfake CEO & Executive Video Scams
Attackers use AI-generated video or voice to impersonate executives on Zoom, Teams, or WhatsApp calls and pressure employees to wire funds, change vendor payment details, or share credentials.
Warning signs: Video calls where the "executive" avoids natural conversation, urgent off-policy wire requests, secrecy from finance or legal, vendor banking changes confirmed only by email or chat.
Student Loan Forgiveness Scams
Fake "loan forgiveness" or "Biden-Harris debt relief" outreach promises to wipe out federal student loans for an upfront processing fee. Real federal forgiveness programs are always free to apply for.
Warning signs: Upfront fees to "qualify," requests for your FSA ID password, robocalls promising guaranteed forgiveness, pressure to act before a fake deadline.
Think you've been targeted? Document what happened and use our recovery resources.