The remote hire who never lived at that address
A convincing developer joins the company. The laptop is shipped to a flat full of other laptops. The wages are alleged to have left the country.
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Independent coverage of crypto, trading, and investment scams — newest first.
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The trading app that wanted another fee
A Facebook ad promised block-trading profits. The app showed a balance. Withdrawal came with a new charge, Thai police said.
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The shops that sell ready-made scam sites
The text about a parcel, a fine or a bank login is often not written by the person who sent it. It was bought from a catalogue.
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Pig-butchering: romance first, crypto deposits later
A patient online romance that slowly steers you into a “shared” crypto trade is the classic pig-butchering sequence — warmth first, painted profits second, blocked withdrawals last.
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After sextortion, a company that says it can stop it
The first crime is a threat to publish images. The second is a firm that charges thousands and, the FTC alleges, does not do the tracing it sold.
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The FinanzOnline text that asks for your IBAN
A text saying a FinanzOnline registration has expired is not the Austrian finance ministry. The page at the end of the link asks for an IBAN and a bank.
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Tax-refund fraud that starts in a preparer’s inbox
A spearphishing mail gets into a tax office. Customer files are copied. Refunds and disaster loans are then filed in other people’s names.
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When the screen says Microsoft has locked the PC
A full-screen warning, a ringing alarm and a support number are the shopfront. The sale is remote control of the computer.
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After a crypto giveaway loss: evidence, report, ignore “recovery”
If you sent USDT or Bitcoin to a celebrity giveaway address, stop sending more, keep the transaction trail, and treat paid recovery cold outreach as another scam.
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What the Africa scam-centre raids found
Interpol’s 2026 Africa operation was not one gang. It was investment fraud, business-email tricks and phishing, counted in the tens of thousands of victims.
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Ghost students and stolen student aid
Stolen identities are enrolled at colleges, coursework is kept alive with automation, and the leftover student aid is paid out to someone else.
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Marketplace buyers who never meet you — fake pay
When a buyer refuses to meet, pushes odd payment methods and invents shipping stories, treat the sale as unfinished until cash or a verified platform payout is in your hands.