Online fraud can take many forms, but most schemes depend on deception, urgency, impersonation, false platforms, or manipulated trust. Below are 50 common scam categories and a plain-language explanation of how each one typically works. CLG Recovery also handles recovery cases involving other types of online scams that are not mentioned on this page.
A scammer presents a crypto investment as legitimate, often showing fabricated profits on a website or app. Victims are encouraged to deposit more money and later discover that withdrawals are blocked, delayed, or conditioned on additional payments.
Fraudulent brokers or trading platforms advertise high returns from foreign-exchange trading, copy trading, or managed accounts. Account dashboards may display artificial gains while real deposits are diverted and withdrawal requests are refused.
A professional-looking website or app imitates a real investment service and shows a growing account balance that does not reflect real assets. Scammers commonly demand more deposits, taxes, verification payments, or unlock fees when the victim tries to withdraw.
A scammer creates an emotional or romantic relationship over time, then invents emergencies, travel issues, business problems, inheritance claims, or investment opportunities to obtain money. The relationship is used to lower suspicion and increase repeated payments.
Fraudsters use dating apps and websites with stolen or fabricated identities, move conversations to private messaging, and build trust before asking for money or introducing a fake investment. The person may repeatedly avoid video calls or in-person meetings.
Attackers compromise or imitate a business email account and alter payment instructions for invoices, payroll, real-estate transactions, or vendor payments. Money intended for a legitimate recipient is redirected to an account controlled by the fraud network.
A fake email, website, or message imitates a trusted organization and asks the victim to sign in, confirm information, make a payment, or open a malicious attachment. The goal is often to steal credentials, card details, account access, or other sensitive information.
Unlike broad phishing, spear phishing is customized for a specific person or organization using names, roles, suppliers, projects, or other real details. The personalized message is designed to make a fraudulent payment or credential request appear trustworthy.
Smishing uses SMS or messaging apps to send fake delivery alerts, bank warnings, toll notices, job offers, account-security messages, or payment requests. Links may lead to credential-stealing pages or conversations designed to obtain money.
A caller impersonates a bank, government agency, police department, technology company, or other trusted organization. Caller-ID spoofing and urgent threats are often used to persuade victims to transfer funds or reveal authentication information.
A fake exchange copies the appearance of a legitimate trading service and accepts crypto or bank deposits. Balances and trades may be simulated, and withdrawal attempts can trigger demands for taxes, deposits, or verification payments.
Victims are tricked into connecting a wallet, approving a malicious transaction, signing a deceptive smart-contract permission, or visiting a compromised site. The approval allows assets to be transferred from the wallet without the victim intending that result.
Someone claiming to be a recovery expert, hacker, regulator, or blockchain specialist promises to retrieve previously lost crypto. The victim is then asked for upfront payments, wallet access, seed phrases, or supposed network fees, creating a second loss.
Developers or promoters market a token, project, or liquidity pool, attract investor funds, and then remove liquidity, abandon the project, or sell large insider holdings. The token price collapses and investors are left with assets that may have little or no value.
Promoters coordinate hype around a low-liquidity token or asset, encouraging others to buy and driving the price upward. Insiders sell into the artificial demand, after which the price can collapse rapidly.
A company claims investors can buy mining equipment, mining contracts, or shares in a mining operation with attractive returns. In fraudulent versions, the mining operation may not exist and payouts may come from new deposits rather than genuine mining revenue.
Victims pay for supposed remote cryptocurrency mining power hosted by a provider. Fraudulent platforms display invented mining income, push customers to buy larger packages, and create obstacles when withdrawals are requested.
NFT scams can involve fake marketplaces, counterfeit collections, phishing links, compromised creator accounts, malicious minting sites, or false investment promises. Victims may lose purchase funds, NFTs, or other crypto assets from a connected wallet.
Fraudsters promote an early token sale, private allocation, launchpad, or presale with promises of future exchange listings or rapid gains. Funds are collected before the token disappears, never launches, or turns out to have no genuine project behind it.
A scammer pretends to be a trusted person, business, institution, or official and uses that false identity to request money, information, or account access. Impersonation can happen by email, phone, messaging apps, social media, and cloned websites.
Fraudsters copy a real person or company profile, steal photos and branding, or compromise an existing account. They then contact followers, friends, customers, or investors with fake payment requests, giveaways, investment offers, or emergency stories.
A fake profile, advertisement, video, or message claims a celebrity is offering investments, giveaways, private access, or financial help. The celebrity is not actually involved, and the scam directs victims to send money or disclose financial details.
Scammers pose as tax authorities, police, immigration offices, regulators, courts, benefit agencies, or other government bodies. They often threaten arrest, fines, account freezes, or legal action unless money is sent immediately.
A caller, text, or email claims to be from a bank fraud department and warns of suspicious activity. The victim may be persuaded to move money to a supposed safe account, disclose verification codes, or approve transactions that benefit the scammer.
A pop-up, phone call, message, or fake support page claims a device or account is infected or compromised. The scammer may request remote access, sell unnecessary services, or direct the victim to move money under the pretext of protecting it.
The victim is persuaded to install legitimate remote-desktop software or another access tool so the scammer can control the device. Once connected, the scammer may view banking activity, alter what appears on screen, steal data, or initiate fraudulent payments.
A fake store or seller advertises products at attractive prices, collects payment, and then fails to deliver or sends something significantly different. Scam sites may copy product images, policies, reviews, and branding from legitimate retailers.
A cloned or newly created ecommerce site is designed to look like a real merchant and may use stolen logos, product photos, and fake reviews. Payments can be taken directly or the checkout page may harvest card and personal information.
Fraud on online marketplaces can involve fake buyers, fake sellers, counterfeit payment confirmations, off-platform payment requests, shipping tricks, or nonexistent goods. Scammers often try to move communication and payment outside the marketplace's protected system.
A seller lists an item that does not exist, misrepresents its condition or authenticity, or manipulates the bidding process. Victims may be pressured to pay outside the auction platform or through a method with limited dispute protection.
A fake employer or recruiter advertises a position, conducts a superficial interview, and then asks for money, personal information, equipment purchases, checks, or transfers. The job does not exist and the recruitment process is used to obtain funds or data.
The victim is promised easy remote income for simple work, reshipping, data entry, processing payments, or acting as a local representative. The scheme may involve counterfeit checks, upfront costs, identity theft, or moving stolen funds.
A platform pays or appears to pay small amounts for simple online tasks such as rating products or optimizing apps. Later the user must deposit increasing amounts to continue tasks or withdraw fake earnings, and the deposited money is lost.
Scammers impersonate real companies, staffing agencies, or recruiters using copied job descriptions and convincing email domains or profiles. They may seek advance payments, banking details, identity documents, or participation in fraudulent transactions.
The victim is promised a loan, investment return, inheritance, contract, grant, compensation, or other valuable benefit but must first pay a fee. After each payment, new charges are invented and the promised benefit never arrives.
The victim is told they won a lottery they may never have entered and must pay taxes, insurance, processing, or transfer fees to receive the prize. Genuine lotteries do not require winners to send money to release winnings.
Fraudsters claim the victim won a sweepstakes, often using familiar company names or official-sounding representatives. They demand taxes or fees, sometimes repeatedly, before a prize that does not exist can supposedly be delivered.
A message says the victim has won cash, a vehicle, electronics, travel, or another prize but must pay shipping, customs, verification, or processing fees. The payment request is the real objective of the scam.
The scammer claims the victim is entitled to an inheritance or unclaimed estate, sometimes using fake lawyers, bankers, or official documents. Fees for taxes, certificates, legal work, or transfers are demanded before the nonexistent inheritance can be released.
Fraudsters create fake charities or impersonate genuine organizations, often after disasters, wars, medical crises, or highly publicized events. Donations are diverted to the scammer rather than the cause described.
A fundraiser presents a false story, fake medical need, nonexistent project, or misleading business opportunity to attract contributions. Funds may be diverted for personal use or the promised project may never have existed.
A scammer copies or invents a property listing, claims to be a landlord or agent, and requests an application fee, deposit, or rent before the victim has properly verified access to the property. The same listing may be offered to multiple victims.
Fraudulent vacation listings advertise homes or apartments the scammer does not control, or use bait-and-switch tactics after payment. Victims may discover at check-in that the property does not exist, is unavailable, or is materially different.
A fake lender promises approval regardless of credit history but requires insurance, processing, collateral, tax, or release fees before disbursement. After payment, the loan is never provided and additional fees may be demanded.
A company promises to erase, settle, or dramatically reduce debt and collects fees without providing the promised service. Some schemes tell consumers to stop communicating with creditors while their financial position worsens.
Fraudsters promise to remove accurate negative information from credit files, create a new credit identity, or guarantee a rapid score increase in exchange for payment. Services may be ineffective, unlawful, or never provided.
A consumer is enrolled in recurring charges through misleading trial offers, hidden terms, fake cancellation processes, or unauthorized billing. Charges may continue even after the consumer believes the service was cancelled.
A fraudulent invoice or payment request is made to look like it came from a real supplier, executive, contractor, domain registrar, or service provider. Businesses and individuals may pay it believing they are settling a genuine obligation.
Scammers demand gift cards because the codes can be transferred quickly and are difficult to reverse. Victims may be told the cards are needed for taxes, government fines, technical support, family emergencies, prizes, or account protection.
A criminal gains control of an email, social-media, bank, exchange, marketplace, or other account using stolen credentials, session tokens, SIM swaps, phishing, or social engineering. The account can then be used to steal funds, change recovery details, or defraud contacts.
Scammers constantly change names, websites, payment methods, and stories. CLG Recovery also handles recovery cases involving scam types that are not listed on this page. If your situation does not fit one of the 50 categories above, send us a short description of what happened and how the payment was made. We can review the case and explain the recovery options that may be available for your situation.
