Learn about the different types of hoaxes and scams in this FAQ-list!
Romantic/Love/Dating scams involve scammers making you think they are your dream partner to try to make you pay money for them, and/or try to get your personal details to abuse or sell.
Romantic/Love/Dating scams can get to you by e-mail or through website ads and classifieds or dating sites.
Possible signs of a Romantic/Love/Dating scam:
- You’ve been contacted unexpected / You have no prior relation with that person or mentioned datingsite.
- They ask for money! (Before you will ever see the person.)
- If it’s too good to be true, it usually is.
- If they seem a little too eager to be your partner.
- Unprofessional written messages and/or spelling mistakes / poor English.
- E.g. Why would they really search for love by sending spam e-mail
- Their social media profiles are ‘new’ with very little stuff on it, except maybe for some sexy photos.
If you’re not sure if it’s real, search for the headline or Dating organisation name on this site and in Google. See some Dating scam examples on this website!
More information about Romantic/Love/Dating scams:
- https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/feature-0035-pass-it-imposter-scams#online-dating-scams
- https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/types-of-scams/dating-romance
- https://www.scamalert.sg/types-of-scams/internet-love-scam
Prize draw/Lottery scams involve scammers making you think you have won a (big) prize and try to make you pay money in advance for ‘costs’ or “taxes”, or try to get your personal details to abuse or sell.
Lottery scams are one of the favorite types of e-mail scams created by Nigerian scammers. But some scammers will call people out-of-the-blue about ‘their prize’.
Possible signs of a Lottery scam:
- You’ve won unexpected / You haven’t bought a ticket with that organisation.
- You have never heard of the organisation, or it’s well known… but NOT for giving prizes away.
- If you have to pay before getting your prize.
- If it’s too good to be true, it usually is.
- Unprofessional written e-mails and/or spelling mistakes.
- Do real lottery companies give out millions by e-mail (spam)?!
If you’re not sure if it’s real, search for the headline or lottery organisation name on this site and in Google. See some Lottery scam examples on this website!
More information about Lottery scams:
- https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0199-prize-scams
- https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/types-of-scams/unexpected-winnings/unexpected-prize-lottery-scams
- https://www.scamalert.sg/types-of-scams/lottery-scam
Employment/Job scams involve scammers advertising fake jobs trying to make you pay money in advance or to get your personal details (to abuse) or to trick you to click a link to a webpage infected with a virus or malware.
The fake jobs are offered through e-mail (spam) or advertised on websites. They usually involve jobs that require little effort for high returns to get your attention. For example; work from home for just a couple hours a day!
Possible signs of a Job scam:
- If you have to pay before getting the job.
- If it’s too good to be true, it usually is.
- Unprofessional written ads and/or spelling mistakes.
- Do real companies recruite by sending e-mail (spam)?!
If you’re not sure if it’s real, search for the headline or company name on this site and in Google. See some Job scam examples on this website!
More information about job scams:
- https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0243-job-scams
- https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/types-of-scams/jobs-investment/jobs-employment
- https://www.scamalert.sg/types-of-scams/job-scam
Business opportunity/Investment scams involve scammers making you think they have large sums of money to invest in or with you and try to make you pay money in advance for ‘costs’ or “taxes”, or try to get your personal details to abuse or sell.
Investment scams are one of the types of e-mail scams created by Nigerian scammers. Other scammers will call people out-of-the-blue about ‘a great business opportunity’.
Possible signs of a Investment scam:
- You’ve been contacted unexpected / You have no prior relation with that person or organisation.
- If you have to pay before getting the funds.
- If it’s too good to be true, it usually is.
- Unprofessional written e-mails/ads and/or spelling mistakes.
- Why would they really need to tell other persons about their successful opportunities
If you’re not sure if it’s real, search for the headline or organisation name on this site and in Google. See some Investment scam examples on this website!
More information about investment scams:
- https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0021-investing-online
- https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/types-of-scams/jobs-investment/investment-schemes
- https://www.scamalert.sg/types-of-scams/investment-scam