Common Scams

Adoption fraud occurs when individuals or organizations intentionally deceive prospective adoptive parents or birth parents for personal gain.

Business Email Compromise (BEC) is a sophisticated cybercrime that targets organizations of all sizes, impersonating a trusted entity to trick employees.

Charity and disaster scams are types of fraud where criminals exploit people's generosity, especially during times of crisis.

Scammers pose as an official from a government agency, preying on our respect for authority and fear of being in trouble with the law.

419 scams, also known as advance-fee fraud, are a type of financial fraud where the victim is promised a significant sum of money for a smaller upfront payment.

Phishing scams impersonate trusted organizations to trick you into giving away personal information, clicking malicious links, or downloading harmful attachments.

Ransomware is malicious software that encrypts your files, making them inaccessible until a ransom is paid.

A relationship scam is a form of online fraud where a criminal creates a fake identity to build a seemingly legitimate romantic relationship with a target.

Sextortion is a form of blackmail where scammers threaten to release explicit images, videos, or information unless the victim pays money or complies with demands.

Tech support scams trick individuals into believing their computer has a serious problem to steal personal information or install malicious software.