Scam Library

1. 1A few seconds of someone's voice from social media is enough to train a voice clone.
2. 2You get a call that sounds exactly like your child, grandchild or spouse, crying or panicking.
3. 3The story is always the same shape: an accident, an arrest, a hospital, and a need for money in minutes.
4. 4A second "official" voice — a lawyer, officer or doctor — takes over and gives you payment instructions.

Linda answers a call at 11pm. Her grandson's voice says he crashed a rental car and needs $9,000 for bail. A "public defender" gets on the line and tells her to buy gift cards. Her grandson was asleep at home the whole time.

1. 1You receive a WhatsApp or SMS from an unknown number: "Hi Mom, this is my new number."
2. 2The sender is warm and chatty, and mirrors how your family actually talks.
3. 3Within a day they explain a locked bank app and ask you to pay a bill for them.
4. 4The account details belong to a money mule and the funds move on within minutes.

Priya gets a message from an unknown number saying her son changed phones. Two messages later he asks her to pay an urgent invoice of $1,850 because his banking app is locked. She pays. Her son never messaged her.

1. 1A short, well-produced video ad shows a public figure endorsing a trading platform.
2. 2The face and voice are synthetic; the clip is stitched from real footage.
3. 3You sign up with a small deposit and see a dashboard showing fast gains.
4. 4An "account manager" pushes bigger deposits, then withdrawals stop working.

Tom sees a video of a well-known TV anchor announcing a national AI-trading programme. He deposits $250, watches it 'grow' to $3,100, deposits $20,000 more, and is then told he must pay a 15% release fee before he can withdraw.

1. 1You list an item on a classifieds site, Facebook Marketplace or a social app.
2. 2A keen buyer says they've paid and shares a screenshot of a fake success message.
3. 3They then send you a payment request or QR code to "confirm you received it".
4. 4Approving it sends the sale amount from you to them.

Faiz sells a phone for the equivalent of $150. The buyer sends a QR code and says "scan this to receive payment". Faiz scans, approves, and the money leaves his account. The buyer disappears.

1. 1A Telegram, WhatsApp or Discord group promotes an app with "guaranteed daily returns".
2. 2The app is installed from a link, not from an official app store.
3. 3Small early payouts build your trust so you invest more.
4. 4When you try to withdraw, you're asked for a "tax" or "clearance fee" — then the operator disappears.

Karan invests a small amount and receives a payout the next day. He adds his savings. When he requests a withdrawal, the platform demands a clearance fee, he pays it, and the group is deleted that night.

1. 1A wrong-number text or dating-app match turns into daily friendly conversation.
2. 2After weeks, they mention a trading platform their "uncle" runs.
3. 3You deposit a little, see profits on a dashboard that is entirely fake, and deposit more.
4. 4Withdrawal attempts trigger fees, taxes and eventually silence.

A stranger texts "Is this Dr. Chen's office?", apologises, and keeps chatting. Six weeks later Mark has moved $80,000 into a platform showing $210,000 in gains. He cannot withdraw a cent.

1. 1A profile with attractive photos matches with you and moves fast emotionally.
2. 2They always have a reason not to video call: offshore work, deployment, bad signal.
3. 3After trust is built, a crisis appears — customs fees, medical bills, a blocked account.
4. 4Each payment leads to another, larger request.

After four months of daily messages, Susan's partner — an "engineer on an oil rig" — needs $4,500 to release equipment from customs. Six payments later he stops replying.

1. 1A web page hijacks your screen with alarms and a "Microsoft / Apple security alert".
2. 2The number on screen belongs to a call centre, not the software vendor.
3. 3The "technician" asks you to install remote access software to "clean" the machine.
4. 4They then show fake evidence of hacking and charge for a fake service — or open your banking app.

A loud alert fills Robert's screen. He calls the number, lets a technician connect, and is told his bank account has been breached and a "refund" was overpaid. He is talked into wiring back $6,000.

1. 1You receive an SMS or email from a courier: "Your package is on hold, unpaid customs fee."
2. 2The link opens a convincing copy of the courier's site.
3. 3A small fee is charged to capture the full card number, expiry, CVV and a one-time code.
4. 4Your card is then used for large purchases or added to a mobile wallet.

Ana pays a $1.99 "redelivery fee" on a page that looks exactly like the courier's. Two days later a $1,400 electronics purchase appears on her card.

1. 1A spoofed number shows as "IRS" or a Washington DC area code.
2. 2The caller reads a fake badge number and claims a lawsuit has been filed against you.
3. 3They demand payment today by gift cards, wire transfer, crypto ATM or a prepaid debit card.
4. 4They stay on the line so you cannot verify anything, and threaten police at your door.

Carlos is told he owes $4,300 in back taxes and that a warrant will be issued in one hour. He is instructed to buy Target gift cards and read the numbers out. The IRS never called him.

1. 1A robocall claims your Social Security number was linked to drug trafficking or money laundering.
2. 2Pressing 1 connects you to a "federal officer" who confirms your name and SSN.
3. 3You are told to move your money to a "safe federal account" while the case is investigated.
4. 4The account belongs to the fraudsters, and your SSN is now available for identity theft.

Dorothy is told her SSN was found on a car rented at the border. To protect her savings she wires $22,000 to a "secure Treasury account" and buys gift cards for the rest.

1. 1A caller claims new plastic Medicare cards are being issued and asks to verify your number.
2. 2Or they offer a "free" back brace, DNA cancer screening or COVID test kit.
3. 3Your Medicare number is then used to bill for equipment and services you never received.
4. 4You may only find out when a legitimate claim is denied as already used.

Frank accepts a free knee brace over the phone and gives his Medicare number. Two braces arrive; Medicare is billed $1,900. When he later needs a real brace, the claim is refused.

1. 1You get a text: "Did you authorize a $612 purchase? Reply Y or N."
2. 2Replying N triggers a call from a spoofed bank number.
3. 3The "fraud agent" already knows your name and last four digits, which builds trust.
4. 4They ask for the one-time code, or tell you to transfer money to a "secure account" — often via Zelle to yourself.

Jordan replies N to a Chase fraud alert. The agent who calls sounds professional and asks him to read a code to cancel the charge. That code authorises a $3,000 transfer out of his account.

1. 1A seller, landlord or "bank agent" pushes you to pay or move money by Zelle.
2. 2Zelle transfers are irreversible and treated as payments you authorised.
3. 3Common covers: a rental deposit, concert tickets, a puppy, or a fraud-department 'safety transfer'.
4. 4Once sent, the money is withdrawn from the recipient account within minutes.

Aisha pays a $1,200 apartment deposit by Zelle after a video tour. The listing was copied from a real agency; the apartment was never available and her bank cannot recall the payment.

1. 1You receive a genuine PayPal or Venmo notification for a purchase you did not make.
2. 2The scammer created the invoice, so the email really is from the platform.
3. 3The "dispute this charge" number in the note is the scammer's call centre.
4. 4They then ask for remote access or a refund transfer to fix it.

Nina gets a PayPal invoice for $749 of crypto. She calls the number in the note, is told to install a support app, and watches $2,400 leave her checking account.

1. 1An automated call or email reports a large order — an iPhone, a laptop — that you did not place.
2. 2You are transferred to "account security", who asks to verify your identity.
3. 3They connect remotely to "process the refund" and show a fake overpayment on screen.
4. 4You are then pressured to return the difference in gift cards, crypto or wire transfer.

Helen is told a $1,299 laptop shipped to another state. During the "refund", the screen shows $9,000 credited instead of $900, and she is begged to return the difference before the agent "loses his job".

1. 1You are recruited by text or on a job board for a remote role with unusually good pay.
2. 2The "interview" happens entirely over chat, often on Telegram or Signal.
3. 3You are sent a check or deposit to buy equipment from a specified vendor.
4. 4The check bounces days later; the money you forwarded to the vendor is gone and you owe the bank.

Devon is hired as a "data QA associate" at $38/hour. A $4,200 check arrives for a home-office setup; he wires $3,600 to the recommended supplier. The check is returned as fraudulent and his account goes negative.

1. 1The fraudster prints a QR code linked to their own UPI ID.
2. 2They paste it over the shop's genuine QR at a petrol pump, kirana store or parking lot.
3. 3You scan and pay as usual — the money lands in the fraudster's account.
4. 4The shopkeeper never receives a confirmation, and by then the fraudster has withdrawn the funds.

Rahul fills petrol worth ₹800 and scans the QR taped to the pump. His app shows the payee as "SK ENTERPRISES" instead of the pump's name, but he taps pay in a hurry. The attendant says no payment arrived, so Rahul pays again in cash — losing ₹800.

1. 1You search for a bank or wallet helpline online and land on a fake listing or advert.
2. 2The "agent" sounds professional, knows banking terms, and promises a quick refund.
3. 3They send a UPI collect request framed as the refund.
4. 4Approving it debits your account instead of crediting it.

Meena's food order fails and ₹450 is stuck. She calls the number from a search result. The agent sends a request for ₹450 and says "approve to receive your refund". She enters her PIN and ₹450 leaves her account — then he asks her to try again for ₹4,500.

1. 1You receive an SMS or WhatsApp message warning your account will be suspended today.
2. 2The link opens a page that looks exactly like your bank's website.
3. 3It asks for your card number, CVV, PIN and the OTP — all on one screen.
4. 4The fraudster uses those details to empty the account within minutes.

Arjun gets an SMS: "Dear customer, your KYC expires today. Update now: bit.ly/kyc-verify". The page carries his bank's logo. He fills in his card details and shares the OTP. ₹62,000 is transferred in three transactions before he realises.

1. 1A caller offers to fix a failed transaction or a slow refund.
2. 2They ask you to install a remote-access app such as AnyDesk or TeamViewer.
3. 3Once you share the code shown by the app, they can see your screen live.
4. 4They read your OTPs and make transfers from your own banking app.

Sunita's ₹2,000 recharge fails. "Support" asks her to install an app and read out a 9-digit code. A ₹1 test debit appears, then ₹48,000 leaves her account while she watches, unable to stop it.