Scams & Fraud: The Honest Guide I Wish I'd Had
After I was scammed out of my savings, I built the guide I wish I'd had: clear, written by someone who has been through it, and reviewed by a fraud and security professional. These pages cover the whole picture, how scams really work, how to spot the warning signs, how to protect your money and identity, and exactly what to do if you've already been caught out.
Latest articles
- Protecting Your Online Privacy: How to Shrink Your Data Footprint and Cut Scam Targeting
Protecting your online privacy: data-broker opt-outs, account privacy settings, and shrinking the data footprint scammers use to find and target you.
- Identity Theft: What to Do When Your Identity Is Stolen
Identity theft recovery, step by step: spot the warning signs, file at IdentityTheft.gov, freeze your credit, dispute fraudulent accounts, and document it all.
- How to Freeze Your Credit: A Free, Step-by-Step Guide
How to freeze your credit for free at all three bureaus, why and when to do it, and how a credit freeze differs from a fraud alert after a scam.
- Two-Factor Authentication Explained: What 2FA Is and How to Set It Up
Two-factor authentication explained: what 2FA is, its types ranked by safety, why it stops most account takeovers, and how to set it up.
- How to Create Strong Passwords That Survive a Data Breach
How to create strong, unique passwords and passphrases, use a password manager, and stop one breach from cascading into every account you own.
- QR Code and Smishing Scams: How Quishing and Text Phishing Work
How QR code scams (quishing) and smishing text scams trick you into fake sites and payments, the warning signs to watch for, and how to stay safe.
- Gift Card Scams: Why Scammers Demand Them and How to Stay Safe
How gift card scams work, why fraudsters insist on this payment, the pretexts they use, and what to do fast if you have already handed over the codes.
- Job and Employment Scams: How Fake Job Offers Work and How to Avoid Them
How job and employment scams work: fake offers, upfront fees, overpayment and fake-check tricks, reshipping, and the red flags that expose them.
- Online Shopping and Marketplace Scams: How to Buy Safely and Pay Protected
How online shopping and marketplace scams work: fake shops, too-good deals, and off-platform payment traps, plus how to buy safely and pay with protection.
- Government and IRS Impersonation Scams: How to Spot the Threat and Stay Safe
How government and IRS impersonation scams use fake tax, Social Security, and police threats to demand payment, how real agencies contact you, and what to do.
- Bank Impersonation and Safe Account Scams: How to Spot and Stop Them
How bank impersonation and safe account scams work: why your bank never tells you to move money to a 'safe account', the red flags, and how to verify a call.
- Tech-Support Scams: Fake Virus Pop-Ups, Cold Calls, and How to Stay Safe
How tech-support scams work: fake virus pop-ups, cold calls claiming you're infected, and remote-access requests, plus how to shut them down and what to do.
- Investment and Crypto Scams: How They Work and How to Avoid Them
How investment and crypto scams work: fake guaranteed returns, pig-butchering tactics, the warning signs, and the regulator checks that protect your money.
- Romance Scams: How They Work, the Red Flags, and How to Protect Yourself
How romance scams build trust over weeks then engineer a money crisis: the red flags, how to protect yourself, and exactly what to do if it has happened.
- Phishing Emails and Texts: How to Spot and Stop Them
How phishing emails and texts work, how to spot a fake message, what you should never click, and the steps to take if you have already responded to one.
- The Emotional Impact of Being Scammed: Shame, Stress, and How to Cope
How being scammed affects you emotionally: the shame, stress, and isolation that follow, why it is not your fault, and where to find real support to recover.
- Protecting Elderly Relatives From Scams: A Family Guide to Warning Signs and Safeguards
How to protect elderly relatives from scams: why older adults are targeted, the scams that hit hardest, and safeguards that keep their independence.
- Recovery Scams: How to Spot Fake Refund Services After You Have Been Scammed
Recovery scams target people who were already defrauded, charging upfront fees to get money back. Learn how to spot them and why genuine help is free.
- Can You Get Your Money Back After a Scam? Recovery Chances by Payment Method
Honest guide to getting your money back after a scam: realistic recovery chances by payment method, why speed matters, and what your bank is obliged to do.
- How to Report a Scam: Where to Report and What to Include
How to report a scam step by step: where to file with the FTC, FBI IC3, and Action Fraud, what details to gather first, and what happens after you report.
- How Scammers Find and Target You: Where They Get Your Details
How scammers find and target you: where they get your phone, email, and personal data, why anyone can be a target, and how to cut your exposure to fraud.
- What to Do If You've Been Scammed: A Step-by-Step Recovery Guide
An expert-reviewed, step-by-step guide to what to do after a scam: stop the money, secure your accounts and identity, report it, and avoid follow-up fraud.
- How to Spot a Scam: The Warning Signs to Watch For
An expert-reviewed checklist of the warning signs that reveal a scam: urgency, odd payment methods, and spoofed numbers, so you spot one before it costs you.
- Online Scams and Fraud: How They Work and How to Protect Yourself
An expert-reviewed guide to how online scams and fraud work, the most common types, the warning signs they share, and how to protect your money and identity.