Scam guides — by type

Peer-to-peer payment apps are the #1 vehicle for modern money-transfer fraud. Read these before you send, refund, or accept a payment from a stranger.

• New
  PayPal scams — the 8 patterns to know

  Fake “unauthorized transaction” alerts, overpayment refunds, friends-and-family switches, invoice phishing. What real PayPal will and will not do.

• Zelle scams — pay-yourself, fake buyer, rental deposit

  Why banks rarely refund Zelle fraud, and the exact phrases scammers use when impersonating your bank's fraud department.

• Cash App scams and how refunds actually work

  $Cashtag impersonators, fake support, flip scams — and the truth about Cash App's dispute and refund process.

• How to report a scam to your bank

  The exact call script and Regulation E language to use when disputing an unauthorized transfer.

• How to get a bank refund after a scam

  Escalation path when the first-line rep says “Zelle payments are final.”

• New
  Zelle scam refund — the 2026 playbook

  Which Zelle scams the big banks are now required to refund, the exact Regulation E language, and the CFPB escalation when the bank says no.

• PayPal scam refund — the 2026 playbook

  Purchase Protection, denial-appeal path, and the credit-card + CFPB fallback that reverses PayPal's "no."

• Venmo scams 2026 — how to spot them & get your money back

  The 5 most common Venmo scams and the exact refund playbook — Resolution Center, Reg E, chargeback fallback, and CFPB escalation.

Before you click, tap, or type a password — run it past these.

• How to check if a website is a scam

  10-point manual checklist plus the fastest free tools.

• Is this website a scam? (2026 edition)

  Updated for the AI-generated storefront wave sweeping Meta & TikTok ads.

• The universal “is this a scam?” checklist

  One page. 12 questions. Works for any message, email, or DM.

• QR-code (quishing) scams

  Parking meters, restaurant menus, delivery-notice stickers — how to tell fake from real.

• The WhatsApp 6-digit code scam

  The account-takeover trick that starts with “I sent you a code by mistake.”

Voice and text channels are cheap for scammers and hard for you to verify in the moment.

• New
  How to stop spam texts and robocalls

  Reply STOP the safe way, register with the DNC, block by carrier, and report to 7726 (SPAM) and the FTC.

• How to block “Scam Likely” calls

  Carrier-level controls, iOS & Android settings, and the free apps worth installing.

• AI voice cloning scams

  The family-emergency call, cloned-boss wire, and the safe-word playbook that stops both.

• USPS “delivery on hold” text scam

  The most-forwarded phishing text of 2026 — screenshots and the real USPS process.

Buying, selling, and job-hunting online — the fraud patterns behind the profitable listings.

• Facebook Marketplace scams

  Overpayment, fake shipping labels, Zelle-only demands, cloned buyers.

• How to report a scammer on Facebook Marketplace

  The 6-step reporting path — listing, profile, message thread, IC3, FTC — plus recovery.

• Job-search scams

  Signs of a fake recruiter, upfront-fee scams, and “package reshipping” mule jobs.

• Telegram job scams

  The “review products for $30/task” pipeline — how it becomes a $10k deposit request.

The long-con playbook: weeks of trust-building, then an investment or emergency pitch.

• What “pig butchering” actually means

  The origin, the stages, and how to recognize you're mid-way through it.

• How to report a pig-butchering scam

  IC3, FTC, and international routes — plus what evidence to gather first.

• Romance scammer photos — reverse-image-check any fake

  The 5 face-search tools that actually work, the 8 photo patterns, and the video-call test AI still can't beat.

• How to talk to parents about scams

  A calm, non-condescending script for the “Mom, please stop sending money” conversation.

After the loss — the legitimate paths, and the second-round scams that target victims.

• Recovery scams — the second wound

  Why 20-40% of scam victims get scammed again by fake “fund recovery” firms.

• Financial recovery services — what's real

  Chargebacks, bank recalls, law enforcement, licensed attorneys — the actual toolkit.

• How to recover money from a crypto scam (honest guide)

  The 6-step real playbook — IC3, exchange compliance, and why 'crypto recovery services' are almost always the second scam.

The right agency, the right form, in the right order — country by country.

• How to report to the FTC and IC3

  US-specific: exact URLs, what to include, what to expect back.

• How to report a scam on Instagram

  In-app reporting, account takeovers, and getting Meta to actually respond.

• How to report a scam on TikTok

  Videos, live streams, comments, DMs, and impersonators — and what to screenshot first.

• How to report a scam to your bank

  The exact call script and Regulation E language.

The deep dives — long-form references worth bookmarking.

• Ultimate scam-detection guide (2026)

  12,000 words, 50 patterns, cited sources. The full-length reference.