Scam Alert: Checker & News

Is this a scam, and what scams are going around right now? Check a suspicious message or link, follow scam alerts, and know what to do if you've been scammed. Scam Alert is an independent app, not a government app. Warnings from agencies such as the FTC and the FBI come from their official websites, linked below and in the app. IS THIS A SCAM? Paste a text, email or link and see its red flags explained: pressure to act now, gift card or crypto payments, requests for a code, look-alike web addresses, hidden short links, fake delivery and toll texts. Got a call? Answer a few quick questions. It's checked on your phone: nothing you paste is sent anywhere. SCAM ALERTS Scam news by type (calls, texts, phishing, shopping, impostors, tech support, crypto, romance, jobs, identity theft, payment apps, AI voice clones and more) and official warnings. Follow scams and who scammers pretend to be, from your bank, Amazon and Zelle to the IRS, Medicare and USPS, with an alert at most once a day each, never at night. SCAM RADAR Which scams are rising this week, who scammers are posing as, and the latest official warnings. BEEN SCAMMED? Step-by-step help for what happened, from gift cards and wire transfers to a stolen password or remote access. Where to report in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. Plus a security check-up. LEARN The Scam Playbook (23 scams explained), "Spot the scam" (five messages a day: scam or real?), a tip a day and 60+ scam terms. A scam calendar of tax season, open enrollment and the holiday rush, with reminders. NOT A GOVERNMENT APP Scam Alert is not made by, affiliated with or endorsed by the FTC, the FBI, Social Security, the IRS, Medicare, any government agency or police force, or any company named in it. Official sources: FTC consumer advice (https://consumer.ftc.gov), ReportFraud.ftc.gov (https://reportfraud.ftc.gov), FBI IC3 (https://www.ic3.gov), IdentityTheft.gov (https://www.identitytheft.gov), Social Security (https://www.ssa.gov/scam/), IRS (https://www.irs.gov/help/tax-scams/recognize-tax-scams-and-fraud), Medicare (https://www.medicare.gov/basics/reporting-medicare-fraud-and-abuse), USPIS (https://www.uspis.gov), CFPB (https://www.consumerfinance.gov), UK NCSC (https://www.ncsc.gov.uk), Report Fraud UK (https://www.reportfraud.police.uk), Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca), Scamwatch (https://www.scamwatch.gov.au). WHAT IT CAN'T DO The checker is a guide, not a guarantee: a message with no red flags can still be a scam. It doesn't block calls or texts. Nothing here is legal or financial advice. The news is written by the publishers it links to. SOURCES Government: FTC, FBI and IC3, SEC, CFTC, CFPB, U.S. Department of Justice, UK NCSC. Consumer and security: Which?, Get Safe Online, National Consumers League, AARP, BBB, Consumer Reports, Snopes, Malwarebytes, ESET, Kaspersky, Krebs on Security, BleepingComputer, The Record, Help Net Security, Proofpoint, TechRadar, PCMag, CNET, ZDNET, MakeUseOf, The Verge, WIRED, Ars Technica, Engadget, TechCrunch, 9to5Mac, MacRumors. News: CNBC, CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC News, Fox News, NPR, Reuters, AP, USA Today, The New York Times, The Washington Post, WSJ, Bloomberg, Forbes, Business Insider, Yahoo, MarketWatch, Kiplinger, NerdWallet, Newsweek, TIME, Axios, ConsumerAffairs, Patch, US city newspapers, US local TV and radio news stations, BBC, The Guardian, Sky News, The Independent, The Telegraph, Daily Mail, Mirror, The Sun, MoneySavingExpert, This is Money, The Irish Times, Irish Independent, RTÉ, CBC, CTV News, Global News, ABC (Australia), news.com.au, NZ Herald, RNZ, Al Jazeera. Pictures: logos of the organisations named, and Wikimedia Commons photos. Free, with a single banner ad. A one-time purchase removes it.