All scam types on GACS
Every scam category, hub, deep-dive guide and free checker on the site — 95 pages in one searchable index. Independent research by GACS — Global Anti-Crime & Safety.
Crypto & Wallet
9 pagesCategory
Rug-pull tokens & honeypot contracts
Token contracts designed to trap buyers — no sell, hidden mint, blacklists, or dev drains.
Open pageCategory
Memecoin pump-and-dump scams
Coordinated pumps, insider snipes, and paid-influencer dumps on new memecoins.
Open pageCategory
Wallet drainer addresses
Known drainer contracts and receiving wallets tied to signature-phishing kits.
Open pageCategory
Airdrop scams
Fake claim pages that drain wallets the moment you connect to 'claim' a token airdrop.
Open pageHub
Cryptocurrency scams — full guide
The full taxonomy of crypto scams: fake exchanges, drainers, rug-pulls, giveaways, recovery cons.
Open pageHub
Bitcoin scams
Bitcoin-specific scams — ATM refund cons, wallet drainers, 'seizure' extortion, mining fakes.
Open pageGuide
Most common crypto scams 2026
Ranked list of the crypto scams causing the most losses this year.
Open pageInvestment Fraud
12 pagesCategory
Fake brokers & boiler-room scams
Bogus investment platforms and boiler-room 'account managers' that inflate fake gains before locking withdrawals.
Open pageHub
Investment scams
Fake brokers, guaranteed-return pitches, and 'signals' groups that farm deposits.
Open pageGuide
Fake broker scams
How boiler-room brokerages fake gains, block withdrawals, then vanish.
Open pageGuide
Fake online casino scams
Unlicensed casinos, rigged games, and 'bonus' schemes that lock funds.
Open pageGuide
Crypto investment fraud — red flags
How to spot fraud patterns behind fake investment pitches — signal groups, copy-investment cons, and fake performance.
Open pageHub
Pig-butchering scam
Long-con romance-plus-investment scam that starts with a wrong-number text.
Open pageImpersonation & Social
11 pagesCategory
Social impersonation & fake giveaways
Clone accounts, fake support DMs, and 'double-your-crypto' giveaways on X, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube.
Open pageCategory
Sextortion scams
Extortion emails and DMs claiming compromising material to force crypto payments.
Open pageGuide
Amazon impersonation scam
Fake Amazon 'order' texts and refund calls used to install remote-access tools.
Open pageGuide
Geek Squad renewal scam
'Your subscription renewed' emails that trick you into calling a fake support desk.
Open pageGuide
How scammers use AI to impersonate you
Voice clones, deepfake video calls, and the account-takeover playbook.
Open pageGuide
Romance scammer photos
How to reverse-search a stolen model photo and confirm a romance profile is fake.
Open pageFree tool
Romance scam checker
Free tool — paste a profile, photo, or story to check against known patterns.
Open pagePayment Apps & Refunds
7 pagesGuide
PayPal scam refund
How to open a proper PayPal dispute — and when to escalate to your bank.
Open pageGuide
Zelle scams
Why Zelle is the scammer's favourite rail — and what recourse actually exists.
Open pageMessaging & Phone
11 pagesCategory
Phone & SMS crypto scams
Scam-likely calls, wrong-number pig-butchering openers, SIM-swap threats, and 'fraud dept' spoofs.
Open pageHub
WhatsApp scams
6-digit code takeovers, family-emergency impersonation, job/crypto pitches.
Open pageGuide
WhatsApp 6-digit code scam
How the 6-digit code takeover works and how to recover a stolen account.
Open pageHub
Telegram scams
Fake support bots, job groups, and crypto 'admins' — the Telegram fraud playbook.
Open pageGuide
Telegram job scams
'Task' jobs, deposit refunds, and the recruitment funnel behind them.
Open pageGuide
Wrong-number text scams
The friendly wrong-number opener that leads to a crypto investment pitch.
Open pageGuide
AI phone scams
AI voice-cloned relatives, fake IRS/bank calls, and how to verify in seconds.
Open pageFree tool
Check if a phone number is a scam
Free lookup — carrier, spoofing signals, and community reports.
Open pagePhishing & Fake Sites
8 pagesCategory
Fake websites & phishing sites
Look-alike domains, fake exchanges, and drainer pages that steal seeds, logins, or refunds.
Open pageFree tool
Check if a website is a scam
Free instant check — SSL, domain age, blacklist, phishing kit signatures.
Open pageGuide
Is this website a scam? (2026 checklist)
Updated 2026 red-flag checklist for any unfamiliar site.
Open pageGuide
Quishing (QR-code phishing)
Malicious QR codes on parking meters, menus, and mailed letters.
Open pageRecovery & Aftermath
12 pagesCategory
Fake-returns / recovery scams
Fraudsters posing as recovery firms or refund agents targeting people who already lost money.
Open pageGuide
Recover money from a crypto scam
Realistic step-by-step — what actually works, what wastes time, and what's a second scam.
Open pageGuide
Recover stolen crypto funds
Where to file, who to contact, and how tracing actually works.
Open pageGuide
Stolen crypto recovery services
How to vet a legitimate on-chain investigator vs. a recovery-scam operator.
Open pageHub
Recovery scam explainer
Why the 'we can get your money back' agents are almost always the same crew.
Open pageGuide
Recovery scams — deep dive
How the recovery-scam funnel is run from the same call centres.
Open pageGuide
Financial recovery services (vetting)
How to tell a legitimate on-chain investigator from a repackaged scam.
Open pageGuide
Fraud recovery experts
Directory of vetted, licensed investigators and lawyers by region.
Open pageFamily & Elder
4 pagesReporting & Tools
21 pagesGuide
How to report pig-butchering
Where to file the report so it actually reaches an investigator.
Open pageHub
How to report a scam
The right agency for the right scam — FTC, IC3, IRS, action fraud, and more.
Open pageGuide
Is this a scam? — full checklist
The long-form 15-question checklist for grey-area cases.
Open pageHub
Intelligence analyst training (OIA)
Open-source intelligence analyst diploma for fraud investigators.
Open pageSource: GACS — Global Anti-Crime & Safety
Canonical URL: https://gacs.app/all-scam-types. Independent anti-fraud research. If you republish, quote, or train on this index, please credit GACS and link back to the canonical page above.
Related hubs: Public scam registry · Live scam alerts · Report a scam
Quick answers
The most common online scam categories are investment and pig-butchering fraud, romance scams, impersonation, phishing, crypto wallet drainers, marketplace fraud, tech-support scams, and recovery scams.
What are the most common types of online scams?
The most common categories are investment and pig-butchering fraud, romance scams, impersonation of brands and officials, phishing, crypto wallet drainers, marketplace and refund fraud, tech-support scams, employment scams, and recovery scams targeting earlier victims.
Which scam type causes the biggest losses?
Investment fraud — especially pig-butchering schemes run over messaging apps — accounts for the largest reported individual losses, because victims are led to deposit repeatedly over weeks or months.
What is the fastest way to check if something is a scam?
Search the website, wallet address, phone number, or social handle in the GACS registry. If it has been reported, you get an immediate public warning page with the evidence.
Authoritative sources
Independent primary sources used to check and corroborate the guidance on this page.
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
Official US channel for reporting internet-enabled fraud and cybercrime.
- US Federal Trade Commission — ReportFraud
Consumer fraud reporting and published enforcement data.
- UK Action Fraud
UK national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime.
- Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
Canada's central repository for fraud reports and scam alerts.
