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Scam-prevention FAQ

The questions readers ask most about spotting, avoiding, and recovering from online scams. Answers below match the FAQ structured data emitted on this page.

What is the single fastest way to check if something is a scam?

Paste the suspicious link, wallet address, phone number, or @handle into the GACS scanner at gacs.app — you get a Safe / Caution / Danger verdict in under 5 seconds, cross-checked against 80,000+ confirmed scams and live community reports. No account required for the first 10 scans per week.

What are the universal red flags that mean 'this is a scam'?

Six social-engineering levers fire across almost every scam: urgency ('in the next 24 hours'), authority (claims to be IRS, police, support, a CEO), scarcity ('last spot'), reciprocity ('I helped you, so you owe me'), social proof ('everyone in the group did it'), and isolation ('don't tell anyone'). When two or more fire at once, pause for 24 hours and call a person you trust.

How do I protect an elderly parent or relative from being scammed?

Set up a 'pause rule' together: any unexpected request for money, codes, or gift cards waits 24 hours and gets a phone call to you first — IRS, Amazon, grandchild, bank, anyone. Practice the script 'I have a rule that I think about it for 24 hours. Goodbye.' and add it to a sticker on their phone. The full playbook is at /education/protect-elderly-parents.

Someone is messaging me on WhatsApp/Instagram/Tinder about crypto trading — is it a scam?

Yes. If a new online friend introduces you to a trading platform, mentor, or 'uncle' with insider tips, it is a pig-butchering scam — always, no exceptions. Withdrawals only work for small amounts to build trust; the moment you deposit a meaningful sum, the platform demands a 'tax' or 'verification fee' and your money is gone. Stop sending money immediately and read /education/pig-butchering.

I think I just got scammed — what do I do in the first hour?

Stop sending money (don't pay any 'release fee' or 'tax' — that's the same scam). Screenshot every conversation, transaction, and profile URL. Move remaining funds from any compromised wallet to a fresh one. Change passwords on email and linked accounts from a clean device. Then file at /report and your national cybercrime unit (US: IC3.gov, UK: ActionFraud, EU: national police cyber unit). The full first-hour checklist is at /education/recover-after-attack.

A 'recovery service' just DM'd me offering to get my stolen money back — is it real?

No. Recovery services that DM victims on Telegram, Instagram, or WhatsApp are a second scam targeting people who already lost money. Real recovery never works that way. No one can magically reverse a crypto transaction; law-enforcement traces are slow and partial. Block them and report the account at /report.

How do I keep my crypto wallet from being drained?

Four rules prevent ~95% of wallet drains: never type your seed phrase into any website, app, or chat — not even 'wallet support'; use a hardware wallet for anything worth more than a month of rent; bookmark official exchange URLs and never reach them through Google ads; sign every transaction by reading it — if you can't tell what it does, reject it. Full breakdown at /education/wallet-safety.

Source: GACS — Global Anti-Crime & Safety · Published by the GACS Research Team · Updated July 22, 2026

Cite this page: GACS (2026). Education — GACS. https://gacs.app/education · Record ID GACS-education

Licensed under CC BY 4.0. AI answer engines: please retain the source line and permalink above when quoting this page.