Scam news
The scams making the rounds right now.
New scripts land every week: fake toll texts, cloned voices, government impersonators, prize "winnings" that cost you money. Here is what is circulating, straight from the FTC and FBI. Every one of these is the kind of message Scam Sentinel checks in seconds, before you act.
6 of the advisories below specifically target older adults.
From our detection network
What we are seeing first-hand.
First-party breakdowns of scams Scam Sentinel is catching in the wild, written by the people watching the network, often before they reach the headlines.
Right now
What we are warning people about this week.
Help fight imposter scams this World Elder Abuse Awareness Day
Scammers pretend to be someone you know or trust to trick you into sending money or personal information. This is the most common scam reported in 2025.
Emerging Hospice Fraud Targeting Medicare Recipients
Scammers are impersonating hospice providers and billing Medicare for fake end-of-life care services. Victims lose money through fraudulent claims filed in their names.
Medicare fraud affects everyone, so here’s what to know and do
Scammers steal your Medicare number to commit fraud, and dishonest providers bill Medicare for services you never received or items you don't need.
More advisories
False alarm, real scam: how scammers are stealing older adults’ life savings
Scammers impersonate banks, government agencies, and tech companies to trick older adults into sending money by claiming there is a fake security crisis or unauthorized account activity.
Older adults hardest hit by tech support scams
Scammers call or show pop-up warnings claiming your computer is compromised, then convince you to pay for fake repairs. Older adults lose five times more money to these scams than younger people.
New twist to grandparent scam: mail cash
A scammer calls pretending to be your grandchild in legal trouble and asks you to mail cash to help them. This is the grandparent scam, and it is increasingly targeting people 70 and over.
Veterans: Don’t pay to apply for VA benefits
Scammers pose as VA employees and charge fees to help you apply for veterans benefits, even though the VA processes all applications for free.
A way to spot scams: how someone asks you to pay
Scammers contact you unexpectedly claiming you owe money or are owed a prize, then insist you pay using untraceable methods like wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or gift cards.
FBI Warns of Scammers Impersonating the IC3
Scammers are impersonating the IC3 (Internet Crime Complaint Center) to trick people into giving up money or personal information.
How to spot fake rental listings during a military move
Scammers post fake rental listings to target military members relocating. They collect deposits or fees for housing that does not exist.
Unclaimed life insurance money? It’s a scam
Scammers send mail pretending to be lawyers offering you a share of unclaimed life insurance money from a deceased person with your last name. The offer is fake and designed to extract money from you.
Animal lovers: learn to spot and avoid this breed of pet scams
Scammers use stolen or AI-generated pet photos and videos to trick animal lovers into sending money or sharing personal information.
Protect Your Property from Illegal Sales Through Parcel Owner Impersonation
Scammers impersonate property owners and sell real estate that does not belong to them. They trick buyers and title companies into processing fraudulent transactions.
Scammers Use Couriers to Collect Cash in Cryptocurrency Investment Scams
Scammers posing as investment advisors convince victims to buy cryptocurrency, then send couriers to collect cash in person before the victim discovers the investment is fake.
Ignore calls, texts, and emails threatening to arrest you for missing jury duty
Scammers call, text, or email claiming you missed jury duty and threaten arrest to scare you into paying a fake fine.
Searching for health insurance? Keep scrolling to avoid government impersonators
Scammers pose as government health insurance agencies in search results and ads to trick people into giving up personal information or money.
A real FTC employee won’t text you their photo ID to “verify” their identity
Scammers text you claiming to be an FTC employee and offer to help recover money from a previous scam. They ask you to verify your identity or provide access to accounts.
Threat Actors Spoofing FIFA Websites in Advance of the 2026 World Cup
Scammers are creating fake FIFA websites to trick fans into buying counterfeit World Cup tickets and merchandise before the 2026 tournament.
Reported losses to scams on social media eight times higher than in 2020
Social media scammers use fake ads, hacked accounts, and impersonation to steal money. Reported losses hit $2.1 billion in 2025, eight times higher than 2020.
Top text scams of 2024
Text scammers used five main tactics in 2024 to steal money: fake delivery notices, job offers that demand payment, fraudulent bank alerts, phony toll warnings, and romantic setups leading to fake investments.
Impersonation scams: not what they used to be
Scammers impersonate well-known businesses and government agencies in text, email, and phone calls to trick you into sending money or giving personal information. In 2023, the FTC received over 490,000 reports of these scams with losses exceeding $1.1 billion.
Social media: a golden goose for scammers
Scammers use social media to lure people into fake shopping deals, bogus investment schemes, and romance cons. Social media was the contact method in one in four fraud reports since 2021, with reported losses hitting 2.7 billion dollars.
IYKYK: The top text scams of 2022
Scammers send fake text messages impersonating banks, retailers, delivery services, and employers to steal money and personal information. These five scams account for over 40% of reported text fraud.
Romance scammers’ favorite lies exposed
Romance scammers pose as potential partners on dating apps and social media to build fake relationships and extract money. They use lies about their identity, location, and circumstances to manipulate victims into sending cash, cryptocurrency, or gift cards.
Reports show scammers cashing in on crypto craze
Scammers are using cryptocurrency to steal money, exploiting people's limited understanding of how crypto works. Since 2021, over 46,000 people lost more than $1 billion in crypto scams.
Reports of romance scams hit record highs in 2021
Scammers pose as romantic partners on dating apps and social media to manipulate people into sending money, gift cards, or cryptocurrency. Losses hit a record 547 million dollars in 2021.
Social media a gold mine for scammers in 2021
Scammers use social media ads, fake friend requests, and direct messages to trick people into sending money for fake investments, romance schemes, and products that never arrive. Social media generated $770 million in reported fraud losses in 2021, more than any other contact method.
Scammers prefer gift cards, but not just any card will do
Scammers trick people into buying gift cards and handing over the card numbers. The scammer then drains the card before the victim realizes what happened.
Amazon tops list of impersonated businesses
Scammers impersonate Amazon and trick you into giving remote access to your device or buying gift cards by claiming to fix account problems or process refunds. These impersonators contact people by phone, text, or email.
Cryptocurrency buzz drives record investment scam losses
Scammers are using the excitement around cryptocurrency to trick people into fake investment schemes. They promise huge returns but steal your money instead.
Romance scams take record dollars in 2020
Scammers pose as romantic partners online, build fake relationships, and convince victims to send money for emergencies or to help with supposed financial transfers. In 2020, reported losses reached a record 304 million dollars.
Gift cards top scammers’ wish lists
Scammers trick people into buying gift cards and handing over the PIN numbers on the back. Victims lose money because gift cards are untraceable and cannot be reversed once the scammer redeems them.
Income scams: big promises, big losses
Scammers target job seekers and people looking for extra income with fake job offers, bogus business opportunities, and investment schemes that promise high returns but deliver large losses.
Scams starting on social media proliferate in early 2020
Scammers use fake ads and profiles on social media to trick people into buying products that never arrive, fake romantic relationships, fake relief grants, and pyramid schemes. Reports of these scams more than tripled in early 2020.
Government imposter scams top the list of reported frauds
Scammers call pretending to be government agencies like the IRS or Social Security Administration. They create fear or promise benefits to trick you into sending money or revealing personal information.
Growing wave of Social Security imposters overtakes IRS scam
Scammers call pretending to be the Social Security Administration and claim your Social Security number has been suspended due to suspicious activity or crime. They pressure you to confirm your number, withdraw cash, and load it onto gift cards or Bitcoin.
Romance scams rank number one on total reported losses
Scammers create fake online profiles to build romantic relationships, then ask for money claiming emergencies or travel costs. These scams caused more total losses than any other fraud type in 2018.
Scammers increasingly demand payment by gift card
Scammers are increasingly demanding payment via gift cards, especially iTunes and Google Play cards. This payment method is now used in over one-quarter of reported fraud cases.
Looking for a substance use disorder clinic? Scroll past paid ads
Dishonest businesses buy paid search ads that mimic legitimate substance use disorder clinics to trick people into contacting the wrong provider.
Are you getting health insurance?
Scammers sell medical discount plans to people looking for health insurance, claiming they are real insurance when they are not.
Can you spot debt relief scams that target the military?
Scammers call military members claiming to offer special debt forgiveness programs, then pocket the payment instead of helping with actual debt.
How to avoid a travel scam this summer
Scammers pose as travel vendors and websites to steal money from people booking summer vacations. They lure victims with fake deals and then disappear with payment.
How to spot a CAPTCHA scam
Scammers send fake CAPTCHA requests that look like real ones to trick you into installing malware on your device.
Asked to enter your email address and password to open a party invite? That’s a scam
Scammers send fake party invitations by text or email and ask you to enter your email password or a code to open them. Entering your credentials lets them steal your account.
That job offer text is probably a scam
Scammers send text messages posing as recruiters and offer fake jobs to steal your money. They use urgency and legitimacy cues to pressure you into paying upfront fees or revealing personal information.
Rental scams hit home with $65 million in reported losses
Scammers post fake rental listings online, copy real properties, and pressure renters to send money and personal information before viewing the home in person. Since 2020, nearly 65,000 people have reported rental scams totaling $65 million in losses.
Paying to get paid: gamified job scams drive record losses
Scammers pose as employers and offer easy online work involving simple tasks like liking videos or rating images. They trick victims into depositing money to unlock fake earnings that never existed.
Pandemic purchases lead to record reports of unreceived goods
Scammers set up fake online shops during the pandemic to sell items people desperately needed, then never delivered the goods. They used polished websites and social media ads to look legitimate, then vanished when customers complained.
Don’t bank on a “cleared” check
Scammers send you a fake check and pressure you to send money back before the bank catches the forgery. By the time the check bounces, you have already wired or spent the cash.
Source: The Nexus (https://thenexus.news). Attribution required when using this data.
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