Common scams, explained
Fifteen guides: thirteen patterns that official alerts from the FTC and the FBI describe again and again, plus lost-pet scams and a first-hour checklist for a hacked email account. Each page shows an example message we wrote, marked up so you can see how it works, and how to check without clicking anything.
Four common signs
The FTC's guide "How To Avoid a Scam" sums up what these patterns share. Scammers pretend to be from an organization you know. They say there's a problem or a prize. They pressure you to act immediately. And they tell you to pay in a specific way: cryptocurrency, a wire transfer, a payment app or a gift card. You'll see them in many of the pages below.
Texts
- Texts about an unpaid tollA small toll balance, a late fee and a link to pay.
- Texts about a package or a delivery problemA missed delivery, a bad address or postage due, and a link.
- Job offers by text, and jobs that ask you to payEasy remote work, "reply YES," then a deposit to unlock your pay.
Phone calls
- Calls and texts from “your bank’s fraud department”A fraud alert, a code to read back, and a push to move money.
- Calls from a grandchild or relative in troubleA loved one in a crisis, a stranger with authority, and a secret.
- Calls and messages claiming to be the IRS, Social Security or MedicareAn agency, a threat, and a payment only they accept.
- Anyone asking you to pay with gift cardsBuy cards, scratch the back, read the numbers.
Emails and pop-ups
- “Your account is locked” and other account warningsA problem with your account, and a link to sign in and fix it.
- Emails about an order, invoice or renewal you don't recognizeA big charge you didn't make, and a number to call within 24 hours.
- Pop-ups and calls about a problem with your computerA warning that won't close, and a number to call.
Online relationships, offers and codes
- Someone you met online who needs moneyA warm connection, a reason they can't meet, then a money problem.
- Investment offers, crypto and “guaranteed” returnsA friendly expert, a platform that shows big gains, and no way out.
- QR codes on parking meters, packages and textsA square code hides a link you can't read until you scan it.
What the FBI's 2025 figures show
The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center publishes a yearly count of the complaints it receives. These are the categories closest to the patterns on this site, for people aged 60 and over.
| The FBI's category | Complaints | Reported losses |
|---|---|---|
| Phishing and spoofing | 48,064 | $77.0 million |
| Tech and customer support | 21,333 | $1.04 billion |
| Investment | 16,926 | $3.52 billion |
| Confidence and romance | 10,188 | $584.0 million |
| Government impersonation | 8,628 | $413.2 million |
| Employment | 2,853 | $78.7 million |
| Lottery, sweepstakes and inheritance | 2,785 | $136.3 million |
| All complaints from people 60 and over (every category, page 44) | 201,266 | $7.75 billion |
A few things to keep in mind when reading these. They count only complaints people chose to file with the FBI, and only those where the person gave an age, which the form doesn't require. Each complaint is filed under one category. And the FBI says its figures are a snapshot that can change as complaints are reviewed.
Phishing complaints from this age group went from 2,856 in 2023 to 48,064 in 2025 (page 47). Over the same years, phishing complaints from people of all ages fell, from 298,878 to 191,561 (page 25), so, in our reading (the FBI doesn't say this), the rise among older people may partly reflect who files complaints and gives an age, not only how much phishing there is. Phishing is the pattern our link checker is built for, and our guide search finds the guide for a message you describe or paste.
Why our examples are written, not real
Real scam messages contain working links and phone numbers that lead to real people, and reprinting them would spread exactly what we want you to avoid. So every example on these pages is one we wrote from the descriptions in the official alerts. Names are made up, phone numbers are left out, and web addresses end in .example, an ending reserved for examples that can never lead anywhere. We describe patterns. We never say that a particular phone number, business or website is a scam.
Already responded to one?
Go to if you clicked, paid or gave information. It's organized by what happened, with the first thing to do at the top of each part. For something to keep by the phone, print our wallet card or fridge sheet.
Sources
We opened each of these between October 26, 2026 and October 29, 2026 and checked that it says what we say it does. The highlighted part of each address is its registered domain: the same thing our link checker shows you.
- How To Avoid a Scam. Federal Trade Commission, July 2023.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-avoid-scam
- 2025 IC3 Annual Report (Internet Crime Report). FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, 2026.www.ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2025_IC3Report.pdf
Printed from https://isthisemailascam.com/scams/