United Nations Anti-Fraud Center

United Nations Anti-Fraud Center

United Nations Anti-Fraud Center

Email scams

Scam emails look like the real thing, but watch out for links and attachments designed to steal your money or information. Australians lost $77 million to email scams last year. Scammers send 'urgent' emails pretending to be from the government, law enforcement and businesses. They use the same logo and a similar email address as the real organisation. Scammers can also copy or 'spoof' the email address of an organisation or business to make the scam email look more real.

Impersonation scams

Scammers impersonate trusted businesses, friends or family, to steal your money or personal information. Don’t assume a person you are dealing with is who they say they are. Scammers trick you into thinking they are from organisations such as the police, government, banks, and well-known businesses. They can even pretend to be your friend or family member. Scammers use technology to make their call appear to come from a legitimate phone number. Their texts appear in the same conversation thread as genuine messages from an organisation.

In-person scams

Investment scams

Investment scams promise big returns, but the goal is stealing money from you. Americans lose more money to investment scams than any other type of scam. These scams are hard to spot. Don't lose your life savings to money-making opportunities that are too good to be true. Scammers use convincing marketing techniques and new technology to make their investments sound too good to pass up. They promise you high returns with little to no risk. They often use pressure tactics to get you to act quickly so they can steal your money. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Jobs and employment scams

Scammers offer work so they can steal your money and personal information. Stop and check any job that requires you to pay money to make money. It could be a scam. Scammers offer jobs that pay well with low effort. But it’s only the scammer that will make money in the end. Often the job doesn’t exist at all. Scammers pretend to be hiring on behalf of high-profile companies and online shopping platforms. They also impersonate well-known recruitment agencies. Their goal is to steal your money and identity details. They often ask for payment so you can start the role and get the income they’ve promised. Don’t enter any arrangement that asks for up-front payment via bank transfer, PayID or cryptocurrency, like Bitcoin or USDT. It’s rare to get money back that is sent this way.

Phone scams

Scam calls are more than annoying - they cost Australians $141 million in losses last year. 1 in 3 reported scams happen by phone. Scammers call, claiming to be from well-known organisations. This includes government organisations, law enforcement, investment and law firms, banks, telecommunication providers. They make it sound urgent to get to you act quickly. They may try to convince you to give them your personal or bank account details, or remote access to your computer. The caller may already have some details about you, such as your name or address.

Product and service scams

Scammers pose as buyers or sellers to steal your money. When buying or selling products and services online, always check that you are paying the right person or business. Scammers will set up fake websites or profiles on real retailer websites. They will then offer the product or service at an incredibly good price. They also post fake ads and fake reviews. They may use stolen logos, .com.us domain names, and stolen U.S. business numbers . These scams are hard to spot. Scammers also pose as businesses you know and trust. They then send you fake bills or by changing the payee details on invoices that you expect.

Romance scams

Scammers use dating or friendship to win your trust and get your money. Never assume a person that you've only met online is who they say they are. Scammers go to great lengths to convince you the relationship is real and manipulate you to give them money. Romance scammers will leave you broke and broken-hearted. Scammers will find you on social media, dating or gaming apps and websites. They might also text or email you. They hide behind fake profiles and identities, sometimes of famous people. They’re really good at making you feel special, so you believe the relationship is real. Once you trust them, they have an ‘emergency’ and ask you to give them products or money to help them. Or they ask you to do things for them, like set up accounts or transfer money they give you. Scammers can wait years to build this trust.

Social media scams

Be suspicious of anyone who contacts you out of the blue on social media – scams losses are on the rise here. United States reported losses of $80.2 million to social media scams last year – up 43% on the year before. Scammers set up fake profiles on social media, messaging platforms and apps. They pretend to be from the government, a real business, employer, investment firm, or even a friend, family member or romantic interest. They may: use the same logo of the real organisation or photo of the person they are pretending to be to make the scam harder to spot. impersonate famous people to 'recommend' goods or services create fake identities to befriend you and win your trust. Scammers can also learn a lot about you from details you share on your social media accounts. They create quizzes or posts designed to deceive you into sharing personal information. They use this information to guess your account passwords or target you with other scams.

Text or SMS scams

Scam messages look like they are from the government, businesses you deal with or even your own family or friends to try to catch you out. Text or SMS was the most reported contact method for scams last year. Scam messages sound urgent to get you to act quickly. They often have a link which will take you to a scam website. Scammers can steal any personal information entered on these scam websites and use it to take your money or commit fraud in your name. To make these message look real, scammers spoof (copy) the phone number and sender ID of businesses or people you know. Scam messages can even appear in the same message chain as real messages from the organisation, making them even harder to spot.

Threats and extortion scams

Scammers threaten you so you will pay them money. Speak up and report before handing over money to someone who threatens you. Scammers pretend to be from an organisation and claim you need to pay money. They may threaten you with arrest, deportation, or even physical harm, if you don’t agree to pay them immediately. They can also blackmail you by threatening to share naked pictures or videos you have sent them unless you send them money. Don’t be pressured by a threat. Stop and check whether it’s true.

Unexpected money

Don’t lose your money trying to access entitlements, rebates or winnings. Offers of free money will cost you a lot. Scammers try to convince you that you are owed or entitled to, money or winnings that you did not expect to receive. The scammer asks you to pay a fee or to give your financial or identity details so you can get the money or winnings. There is no free money, and you will lose more money trying to get it.

Website scams

Scammers can pretend to be anyone online to deceive you into trusting them. United States lost $74 million to online scams last year. Scammers create fake websites to look like well-known brands. They impersonate famous people and make it look like they recommend the product or service. They use fake reviews to make you trust them. Advertising banners or pop-up windows that contain fake warnings or error messages can pressure you into acting.

Disclaimer: Anti-Fraud League's initial consultation, investigation, and recovery program is free of charge to you. Our fees are based on the percentage of funds successfully recovered and will vary depending on the complexity of the case and the amount recovered.Anti-Fraud League does not provide any financial investment or advice. For UK residents only, Action Refund does not assist consumers with complaints about mis-sold investment products (e.g. CFDs) purchased from firms regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and/or the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).Due to the involvement of ethical hackers in recovering funds from scams, which may not align with the conventional practices of some countries, Anti-Fraud League frequently changes its domain name to avoid unnecessary complications.

All Categories - United Nations Anti-Fraud Center

Email scams

Impersonation scams

In-person scams

Some scams take place in person. Scammers may knock on your door or approach you in public and ask you to do something. They might: ask for upfront payment for goods and services pressure you into completing a survey to get your personal details ask for donations to a ‘charity’.

Investment scams

Jobs and employment scams

Phone scams

Product and service scams

Romance scams

Social media scams

Text or SMS scams

Threats and extortion scams

Unexpected money

Website scams

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