Scam and fraud glossary · Plain language

Understand the term.
Know what it means.

Scams and fraud come with their own language. This glossary explains the terms in plain words, how they may show up and what they could mean for you.

Search by the word you saw, heard or were sent.
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“Your grandson is in trouble. He needs bail money tonight.”
Grandparent scam
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How it arrives
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Your move
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If you've met a term we haven't, we want to know about it.
Additional reference
Fraud language changes quickly.

This page covers public-facing scam and fraud terms. For fast-changing criminal slang, we also consult The Fraudster Glossary by Eric Huber. New terms are added only when we can trace where they came from.

Visit The Fraudster Glossary →
THE FRAUDSTER GLOSSARY © ERIC HUBER
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 · CONSULTED LIVE
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Look it up here first. If the situation is still unclear, use the wider guides to work out what it means and what to do next.

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