Sarah Li Cain

Tue, May 13, 2025, 9:09 AM3 min read

Even the savviest of consumers are susceptible to scams. In fact, the latest data from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) found that Americans submitted a total of 2.6 million fraud reports and lost an estimated $12.5 billion in 2024, an increase of $2.5 billion from 2023.

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Granted the most common scams weren’t the costliest.

Still, losing money to a scam is not on anyone’s agenda. Your best bet is to be proactive in what types of scams are out there and look for signs you could be a scammer’s next victim.

While there are many telltale signs, here are six main signs that someone is trying to scam you:

Scam artists tend to pose as representatives of government agencies, banks or even health care providers to gain your trust. They will eventually ask you for any personal information to “confirm” your records are accurate.

Scammers may contact you about some news you weren’t expecting like owing money for a debt you never took out or money you need to pay back to the IRS.

don’t want to have anything leading back to them. When asking for money, scammers may ask you to give them cash (like via a bank transfer) or to purchase gift cards and say the numbers over the phone.

Maybe you’re being offered a really fantastic offer, way above the asking price for an item you posted on eBay. Or some sort of investment or business opportunity that earns a high profit but requires little upfront cash.

Either way, deals that sound too good to be true are most likely a scam.

Scammers want to entice you to make a decision fast (basically, send them money) so will try to pressure you by imposing a short deadline. For example, you need to claim a prize or you’ll lose it. As for emergencies, it could be as simple as posing as a relative that needs money to get them out of a bind, like being stuck in another country.

According to Visual Capitalist using data compiled by the FTC, here are the most common scams that have been reported to them:

• Imposter scams

• Online shopping issues

• Business and/or job opportunities

• Investment related opportunities

• Internet services

• Lotteries, prizes and/or sweepstakes

• Phone services

• Health care

• Travel related (like timeshare plans)

• Debt management and/or mortgage foreclosure relief