How to tell if someone is scamming you online
Online scams come in many shapes: a seller, a stranger who has become a friend, an investment tip, a refund you were not expecting. Underneath, they share a small number of habits. If you notice more than one of these, stop and check before any money moves.
They rush you
A scam needs you to act before you think. Deadlines, limited stock, a prize that expires today, a problem that must be fixed right now. A real business and a real friend can wait a day.
They want payment you cannot get back
Bank transfer, gift cards, cryptocurrency, a money-transfer service: once sent, the money is gone and no bank can reverse it. Someone who refuses a credit card or a payment service with buyer protection, or who changes the bank details at the last minute, is showing you what they are.
They move the conversation
Scams start on a marketplace, a dating app or a social network, then move to WhatsApp, Telegram or email, where the platform’s protections no longer apply. The move itself is the sign.
They will not be checked
Ask for a video call, a company name and number, a postal address. Excuses (a broken camera, travelling for work, a company “being set up”) are the pattern. A real business gives you its registered name and you can find it on the register: our guide to checking a shopping site shows how.
The details do not add up
The name on the profile, the email address, the phone number’s country and the company they claim to work for should all point the same way. Run a reverse image search on their photos: a stolen picture is the fastest proof. Read their messages for the small cracks: a different name, a time zone that does not match, text that reads as if it was pasted.
It involves money you did not ask for
A refund for something you did not buy, a prize for a competition you did not enter, an investment that only goes up, an offer to “flip” money. Nobody gives money to strangers. The ask always comes next: a fee, a deposit, your card details to release the funds.
Romance and friendship scams play the long game
These take weeks or months, and the request for money comes only after trust is built: a medical bill, a flight, a customs charge, a business opportunity. The length of the friendship is not evidence it is real. The request for money is the moment to check.
If it is a business, check the business, not the person
Most online scams end at a website that takes your payment. Put its address into the box below and we check it against the public record, free, usually in under a minute: the company register, the age of the address, reviews, malware lists, data breaches and more.
What to do if you think it is a scam
Stop replying and send nothing more. If you have paid, call your bank straight away; it may be able to stop or recover a payment. Keep the messages as evidence. Then report it: Report Fraud in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, Police Scotland on 101 in Scotland, ReportFraud.ftc.gov in the US, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre in Canada, Scamwatch in Australia, or to your local police anywhere else.
The quick checklist
- Nobody is rushing you to decide today.
- You can pay by card or a service with buyer protection.
- The conversation is still where it started.
- They will do a video call and name a company you can find on the register.
- Their name, email, number and photos all point the same way.
- No money you did not ask for, and no fee to release it.
- The website taking the payment checks out.
Questions people ask
Can I get my money back after an online scam?
Sometimes. A card payment or a payment service with buyer protection can often be reversed; a bank transfer sometimes, if you call your bank at once; gift cards and cryptocurrency almost never. Call your bank first, then report it.
Is it a scam if someone asks me to pay by bank transfer?
Not always, but it removes your protection, so treat it as a reason to check everything else twice. A business you have found on the company register with real reviews is a different case from a stranger on a marketplace.
Where do I report an online scam?
Report it to Report Fraud in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, Police Scotland on 101 in Scotland, ReportFraud.ftc.gov in the US, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre in Canada, Scamwatch in Australia, or to your local police anywhere else. Call your bank first if money has moved.