Online Scams

Pet Adoption Scams

How they work: Individuals trying to adopt pets see ads of adorable, perfect pets, available from a “breeder” several states away. On fake websites or through social media, email, or text messages, they pay for the pet, shipment costs and additional fees for things like a travel kennel or insurance fee. The pet never arrives – it was all fake.

Tips to protect yourself:

• Ask for multiple and specific pictures of the animal. To make sure the pet exists, request photos of the animal with unique items (a local newspaper, a tennis ball, etc.).
• Compare prices. An unusually low price for a purebred may be a sign of a scam.
• Adopt locally. That way you can meet the animal in person and do a face-to-face transaction.

Online Selling Scams

How they work: Criminals conduct a range of swindles on platforms like Craigslist, OfferUp and Facebook Marketplace, including trying to trick sellers into accepting fake payments and making bogus refund requests.

Tips to protect yourself:

• For local sales, meet in person. Cash transactions and in-person hand-offs can lower your risk.
• Only accept payment through approved methods. Most sites recommend specific payment methods to protect both buyers and sellers. Do not accept personal checks, cashier's checks, wire transfers or money orders.
• Take advantage of seller protections. If the site offers seller protections, make sure you're using them.
• Be wary of refund requests. If the buyer overpays for the purchased item and asks you to refund the money, instruct them to talk to their financial institution to resolve the error.

Online Buying Scams

How they work: Criminals may create fake websites or use simple misspellings in a web address to trick victims into thinking they are on a legitimate retailer's site.

Tips to protect yourself:

• Make sure the URL matches the store's name exactly: Scammers will often use simple misspellings in a web address, adding a letter or transposing letters.
• Check for the “s”: Look for an "s" in the https:// portion of the web address. An insecure website will not have the "s" and may not be safe to use.

Job Search Scams

How they work: Scammers pose as recruiters and contact job seekers with amazing job opportunities and offers. They request sensitive information such as bank account information to “deposit paychecks” and Social Security numbers for the “hiring process.” They may conduct fake interviews, set up phony onboarding portals, and demand the “new hire” pay for their company computer or other equipment.

Tips to protect yourself:

• Verify job openings before you apply. Reach out to the company directly, using contact information that you've verified as legitimate, to confirm the job opportunity and get more information.
• Watch for warning signs. Look out for things like emails from personal accounts not affiliated with the company, interviews conducted only on email or chat, job offers that seem too good to be true and salaries way above industry norms.

Charity Scams

How they work: Criminals may impersonate a charitable organization to trick victims into giving up money or information.

Tips to protect yourself:

• Contact charities directly to donate. If you decide to give to a nonprofit, donate to the organization directly and not to an individual, who may or may not be a real representative of the organization.
• Never make an impulse donation in response to an ad or plea you see on social media.
• Take time to research the charity. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recommends searching for a charity's name or a cause you want to support with terms like “highly-rated charity,” “complaints” and “scam.”

Online Dating Scams

How they work: Fraudsters connect with victims on a dating site or social media channel. After they have gained the victim's trust, they ask for favors and/or money. It might sound innocent enough at first: “I want to come see you, but I'm too broke to make the trip,” or “My mom just had a stroke and I can't afford to go see her.”

Tips to protect yourself:

• Meet someone in person before trusting them with deeply personal information or money. When you are first getting to know somebody in an online relationship, resist the urge to help the other person financially.

Report Online Scams

If you suspect you've encountered an online scam, it's important to report it to help the authorities and to get the word out to other potential victims.

• You can report online scams to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.
• Report fraud, scams and bad business practices to the FTC.
• If you used a payment app for a transaction you believe was fraudulent, report it to the payment provider directly.

Related Resources

• Free Cybersecurity Courses
• Payment Apps: How To Keep Your Money Safe
• Social Engineering Scams
• Identity Theft