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Guides · September 11, 2026

Guides

Home guides: Fund recovery scams.

Desk with a recovery folder, a red prepaid fee invoice, a blank chat phone, and a gold badge crossed out in red

How to spot a fund recovery scam

A fee to get your scam money back is usually a second scam.

October 17, 2026
 Clipboard with a blank background-check form under a red fee invoice, beside a stack of blank gift cards

How to spot a fake job background check fee

Honest employers order the check. They never make you pay with gift cards.

October 15, 2026
 Laptop at dusk showing a copycat store product grid with red slashed price tags, an address bar without a padlock in a red dashed box, and a plain bank card on the desk

How to spot a fake online store before you buy

Check the seller before a too-good deal gets your card.

October 14, 2026
 Nighttime ATM cabinet with blank bills at the slot and a phone screen showing a fake QR coaching overlay

How to spot a Bitcoin ATM cash deposit scam

Hang up. Never put cash in a Bitcoin ATM because an unexpected caller said to.

October 13, 2026
 Incoming call screen with a voice waveform that breaks into pixel blocks, warning of an AI-cloned family voice

How to spot an AI voice clone family emergency scam

A cloned voice fakes a family emergency to rush payment. Hang up and verify.

October 12, 2026
 A warm wooden desk with a phone showing an Unknown-number text that includes a fake employee ID photo, and a paper badge with a hexagonal fake seal under a magnifying glass, with no real FTC marks, seals, flags, or numbers.

How to spot a fake FTC employee who texts a photo ID

Fake FTC texts send a photo ID to sell a recovery scam. Ignore them.

October 11, 2026
 A curb parking pay station with a raised crooked fake QR sticker over a faint official plate, beside a phone showing masked URL bars.

How to spot a fake parking meter QR code

Fake parking QR stickers lead to look-alike pay sites. Inspect first.

October 10, 2026
 An unordered cardboard box on a doormat in front of a green door, with a blank shipping label and a blurred address, beside an empty five-star review card under a magnifying glass.

What to do if you get a package you didn't order

A box you never ordered is usually brushing—keep it, don’t scan it.

October 9, 2026
 A generic browser window covered by a fake 'Your browser is out of date' pop-up, with a magnifying glass over its Update now button and a download bar showing a zip file with a red warning mark.

How to spot a fake browser update pop-up

Real browser updates come from the browser, never a web page.

October 7, 2026
 Browser window with an “I’m not a robot” check that says “To verify, press: Win + R, Ctrl + V, Enter,” above a Run dialog with a red warning badge

How to spot a fake CAPTCHA that asks you to run a command

A real CAPTCHA never leaves the page. Close the tab.

October 6, 2026
 Tablet on a home office desk showing an “Unusual sign-in activity” alert next to a “Verify your account” card

How to spot a fake Microsoft unusual sign-in alert

Check Recent activity at account.microsoft.com, typed yourself.

October 5, 2026
 Phone in a hotel room showing a “Property” message that says the card failed and asks to “Re-enter card,” beside a suitcase and key card

How to spot a fake Booking.com reservation message

Open the Booking.com app yourself before you pay anything.

October 5, 2026