People in their twenties report losing money to fraud more often than any other age group. Here is how to read the signs, shut it down, and report it, in plain language.
Seven plays that target students and young adults. Each one runs the same loop: build a story, create urgency, push you to an untraceable payment. Learn the shape and you'll see it coming.
Ads or DMs push trendy gear at steep discounts, then ghost you or ship a knockoff. Online-shopping fraud is the single most-reported scam for people in their 20s and 30s.
Messages look official and fish for your login or 2FA code. Stickers slap a fake QR over a real one to reroute you. Email was the #1 contact method for fraud two years running.
Fake recruiters or task apps dangle easy money, then charge fees or float a fake check. Job-scam losses exploded from $90M (2020) to $501M (2024).
Someone "guarantees" a scholarship or offers to do your FAFSA for a fee. College students get hit through their .edu inboxes.
Someone builds trust for weeks, then steers you into a "sure thing" crypto play or an urgent emergency. Younger adults report investment-scam losses far more often than older ones.
Fraud sites show fake profits, then lock you out and demand "withdrawal fees." More money was lost via bank transfer and crypto in 2024 than all other payment methods combined.
A pop-up or call claims your device is infected and demands remote access or payment. Designed to make you panic and act before you think.
Real figures from the FTC's Consumer Sentinel Network and Data Spotlights (2024–2025). Not illustrations, the actual reported totals.
Source: FTC Data Spotlight · reported losses, scams originating on social media
Source: FTC Consumer Sentinel, 2024 ($ billions)
Source: FTC, 2024 · share of fraud reports that included a loss
Source: FTC · reported losses to job & employment-agency scams ($ millions)
All figures reflect reported losses to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission; actual totals are far higher because most fraud goes unreported. Social-media series: $261M (2020) → $2.1B (2025). Figures drawn from the FTC's 2024 Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book and 2024–2026 Data Spotlights. Read the originals at ftc.gov.
Paste a shop, recruiter, or "claim your prize" link. The inspector runs roughly fifteen checks right in your browser, it never contacts the site, and returns a risk score with a line-by-line breakdown.
Nothing is sent anywhere. All analysis happens on this page.
Try one: fake login · prize bait · a real one
Your report card will appear here.
The more red flags, the higher the score.
When a stranger asks for money or a code, you don't owe them a conversation. Copy one of these, send it, and stop replying.
Reporting is free, it's fast, and it works even when no money was lost. Here's exactly where to go.