Scam

What Is a Scam?

A scam is a form of fraud that relies on deception rather than force. Often, scammers may pretend to be a bank, government agency, company, employer, romantic partner, or family member to gain trust and manipulate decisions.

While scam stories change, most scams follow predictable patterns. Understanding what a scam is—and how scammers create urgency and credibility—can help people pause and verify before acting.

How Scams Show Up in Real Life

Scams don’t arrive in just one way—and most people encounter multiple types across everyday digital channels.

According to the F-Secure US Scam Intelligence & Impacts Report 2025, 62% of U.S. respondents reported falling victim to at least one type of cyber scam in the past 12 months. The data shows no single dominant scam type. Instead, scams are spread across email, phone calls, texts, and online platforms.

The most commonly reported scam experiences included:

• Email scams (20%), such as fake account alerts or delivery notices
• Malware or virus scams (10%), often tied to pop-ups or fake security warnings
• Credit card scams (8%), involving unauthorized charges or fake fraud alerts
• Call scams (5%), including impersonation or urgent payment requests
• Identity theft (5%), where personal information is misused

Smaller but still meaningful numbers of people also reported SMS scams, social media scams, online banking scams, and online shopping scams, showing that scammers target victims across nearly every digital touchpoint.

Common Types of Scams

While scam stories vary, most fall into well-documented categories.

Based on FBI IC3 reporting, some of the most significant scam types include:

• Impersonation scams
  Government and business impersonation scams remain among the most reported, with hundreds of millions of dollars in losses tied to criminals posing as agencies, banks, or employers.
• Romance and confidence scams
  These scams are among the most financially devastating, resulting in over $670 million in reported losses in 2024, according to IC3 data.
• Tech support scams
  Victims are falsely told their device or account is compromised and are pressured into paying for fake help. IC3 reports significant losses and increasing targeting of older adults in this category.
• Phishing and spoofing scams
  Fake emails, texts, or calls designed to steal login credentials or personal data continue to be one of the most common entry points for fraud.
• Payment-related scams involving cryptocurrency or wire transfers
  Cryptocurrency was linked to the highest total losses of any payment method reported to IC3 in 2024, reflecting how scammers favor fast, hard-to-reverse transactions.

These categories evolve over time, but the underlying tactics—impersonation, urgency, and emotional manipulation—remain consistent.

How Scams Typically Work: The Pattern

While the stories vary, many scams follow a similar pattern:

1. Unexpected contact from someone claiming to be legitimate
2. Urgency or fear to limit your time to think
3. A request for money, information, or account access
4. Pressure to act quickly or keep the situation secret

The goal is to push you to act before you can verify the request.

The Growing Role of Technology and AI

Scams are becoming harder to spot because scammers increasingly use technology, and in particular AI, to appear more convincing. This can include:

• Messages that closely mimic real company language
• Voices or writing styles that resemble real people
• Fake websites or alerts that look nearly identical to legitimate ones

Because appearances can be misleading, independent verification—using contact information you trust and official sources—is more important than ever.

How to Tell If Something May Be a Scam

This situation may be a scam if it:

• Comes unexpectedly and demands quick action
• Uses fear, authority, or emotional pressure
• Asks for passwords, one-time codes, or remote access
• Pushes unusual payment methods like gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency
• Discourages you from checking with others
• Looks real but doesn’t allow time for verification

How to Protect Yourself

• Pause before responding. You don’t need to decide immediately.
• Verify independently. Contact companies or people using phone numbers or official websites you find yourself.
• Never share verification codes or passwords.
• Be cautious with payment requests, especially unusual ones.
• Talk it through with a trusted family member or caregiver.
• Use a trusted free scam checker like Scamwise to review suspicious messages, calls, or emails before responding.

If money or account access was involved, you can report the incident to the FTC or the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).

FAQs

What is a scam?
A scam is a deceptive attempt to trick someone into sending money or sharing personal or account information.

Are scams always online?
No. Scams can happen by phone, text, email, social media, fake websites, or even in person.

Why do scams feel so urgent?
Urgency is used to pressure people into acting quickly before they can verify the request.

What should I do if I think something is a scam?
Stop engaging, don’t send money or information, and verify the situation through trusted sources or a scam checker.