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Top signs of a scam

The five tells in almost every scam Things you should never hand over Scammers also target your good heart

Phone calls

Scam phone calls

"This is your bank's fraud team"Fake tech support & "refunds"The "just say yes" call The fake helpline you found yourself The "Phantom Hacker" — three callers, one script "You are under digital arrest" — the call that won't let you hang up "Go to the Bitcoin machine""An officer will collect your card"

"A relative in trouble"

When the voice sounds like family Seeing isn't believing: deepfake video

Shock calls: fake police & relatives

"Your child caused a fatal accident — pay the bail""Burglars are nearby — hand us your valuables""Hi Mum, this is my new number""Vote for my granddaughter!" — the message from a real friend's account

Email, texts & accounts

Fake emails & login pages

"Your account will be suspended""Was this you?" reset traps "Allow access" & device-code tricks

Scam text messages

"Your package needs a small fee"Bank, toll & fine texts The friendly wrong-number text

Fake bank messages (pushTAN)

"Your pushTAN expires — reactivate it now"Copycat login pages that steal your TAN A PayPal debit you never made (guest-payment fraud)The ELSTER "tax refund" that steals your bank details

Money, shopping & scams

Investment & crypto scams

The "can't-lose" investment friend Fake exchanges, giveaways & seed phrases The "I can get your money back" scam The "account recovery expert" — the scam after the hack

Romance scams

The partner who needs money When the sweetheart is software

Fake shops, subscriptions & gift cards

Fake shops & ad-driven stores Free-trial traps & fake renewals Why gift cards mean "scam""Ghost tapping" — the tap-to-pay pickpocket

Job scams & money mules

"Get paid to like videos" task scams Fake recruiters & money-mule jobs

Apps, downloads & the web

Dangerous downloads & the web

"Paste this to verify you're human"Fake updates, extensions & QR traps

QR-code scams (Quishing)

The mystery package with a QR code The QR sticker on the parking meter A letter from the "bank" or Finanzamt with a QR code