How We Review Scams
We aim to be a calm, accurate, and genuinely useful public-safety resource. Trust matters when the subject is fraud, so this page explains exactly how our guides are researched, written, reviewed, and kept current.
Our sources and research
Every guide is grounded in scam patterns that are widely documented by reputable, publicly accountable organisations, including consumer-protection and fraud-reporting agencies such as the US Federal Trade Commission, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, the UK's Action Fraud and National Cyber Security Centre, UK Finance, and Australia's Scamwatch, as well as advisories from banks, couriers, and major platforms. We focus on how each scam typically works and the specific signals that give it away. We do not invent scams or exaggerate rare ones.
How our statistics are used
Where we cite numbers, such as reported losses or the most common scam types, we attribute them to their source and, on our in-depth guides, link to it directly so you can verify the figure yourself. We prefer official, published data over second-hand claims. When a precise figure is uncertain, we describe it in careful, honest terms rather than inventing specifics.
Careful, non-sensational language
We describe red flags and likelihoods, not certainties. We deliberately avoid claims like "definitely a scam", "guaranteed safe", "officially verified", or "police approved". Our goal is to help you pause and verify, not to frighten you into a decision. Fear is exactly the tool scammers use, and we refuse to copy it.
A consistent, structured format
Each guide is organised so you can find what you need fast: what the scam looks like, the red flags to watch for, what to do, what to avoid, and answers to common questions. Our most-searched topics receive expanded, in-depth treatment with step-by-step breakdowns, realistic (anonymised) scenarios, and cited statistics.
Anonymised, illustrative examples
Example messages and scenarios are fictional and clearly labelled as illustrations of a pattern. We never publish real personal data, and we never present an example as a verified report of a specific real message or victim.
Safe, responsible guidance
Our "what to do" steps consistently emphasise contacting official organisations directly, protecting your accounts, and reporting through proper channels. We do not publish instructions that could enable fraud or cause harm, and we point victims toward legitimate help rather than "recovery" services that often prey on them a second time.
Review, dating, and updates
Every guide displays a "last reviewed" date so you can see how current it is. Scams evolve, so we revisit and update guides as tactics change, and we expand coverage as new scam types emerge.
Independence and funding
We are not affiliated with any government agency, bank, retailer, or police force. To keep the site free we may show advertising, but advertising never influences our guidance and is kept clearly separate from our content. See our privacy policy for details.
Corrections
Accuracy is a process, not a one-time event. If you spot something inaccurate or out of date, please contact us, we genuinely value corrections and act on them.