Social Engineering Scams
Scam types
Choose a situation you recognize.
These sections organize the published articles. The boundaries overlap: a single interaction can involve authority, access and money at the same time.
Money & payments ↗
Bank calls, false refunds and requests to move money.
Jobs & marketplaces ↗
Paid-task traps, fake recruiters and verification-code requests.
- Before you send a rental deposit, verify who can actually rent you the home
- A ticket screenshot is not a ticket transfer: buying resale without guessing
- The job equipment check looks cleared. That does not make the money yours
- A brand ambassador offer asks you to buy first. Is it a job, a sale, or a scam?
Relationships ↗
Money requests that arrive through trust and emotional pressure.
- Replied to a wrong-number text? You can leave the conversation here
- “This is my new number”: check the person before paying the family emergency
- The investment group has a professor, winning trades, and a withdrawal problem
- Someone says they found your missing pet. Verify the animal before sending money
After a scam ↗
Containment, recovery offers and follow-up targeting.
- A copyright warning threatens your account. Check the notice without using its appeal link
- A stranger sent you money on Venmo. Do not create a second payment to return it
- An extortion email contains your old password. That is not proof of a webcam recording
- The message says your stolen iPhone was found. Do not remove its protection for a stranger