Frequently Asked Questions

A scam call is when someone calls pretending to be from a bank, the government, tech support, or a family member, in order to trick you into sending money, gift cards, or personal information. Common red flags: they create urgency ("act now or your account will be closed"), ask for payment by gift card, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency, or ask for a one-time passcode (OTP) sent to your phone.

Paste the website address into our search tool on the home page. In general, be careful of misspelled web addresses, sites that pressure you to act immediately, and sites asking for payment info before you can see what you're buying.

Act quickly. Call your bank or card company right away to ask about reversing the transfer. Then call the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 833-FRAUD-11 for free help, and file a report at reportfraud.ftc.gov. See our full 5-step emergency guide.

IRS/tax scams, Social Security or Medicare scams, tech support pop-up scams, romance scams, and "grandparent" scams (someone pretending to be a grandchild in trouble who needs money urgently) are among the most common. Legitimate agencies like the IRS or Social Security Administration will never call demanding immediate payment by gift card or wire transfer.

No. The Scam Exposed is an independent, informational tool. We are not a government agency and our results are not a substitute for official authorities. For official help, see our Resources page.

Our team reviews every report before it is added to our database. This isn't instant, so if you are in immediate danger or have already lost money, don't wait for our review — call 833-FRAUD-11 or use the resources on our Resources page right away.

We only keep what's needed to run the search and report tools, such as the number, email, or website you check or report. We don't sell your data. Full details are in our Privacy Policy.

Yes. Use the "A-", "A", and "A+" buttons at the top of any page to change the text size, or the "High Contrast" button to switch to a high-contrast color scheme. Your choice is remembered on your device.