Fraud & Scams
Scams change fast. The warning signs often stay the same.
Scammers use pressure, fear, secrecy, fake authority, romance, and promises of money to get people to act quickly. Learn the warning signs, how scammers ask for payment, and what to do if you already sent money or shared information.
Before you respond, pause.
Scammers often tell people to hurry, keep the situation secret, or pay in a specific way. If someone contacts you unexpectedly and tells you to pay by cryptocurrency, wire transfer, payment app, gift card, cash, or gold, stop and verify the situation independently.
Four Scam Patterns to Remember
Scam stories change, but the tactics are often familiar. These warning signs can help you spot a scam before money or information is lost.
Pressure
Scammers want you to act before you have time to think, check the story, or talk to someone you trust.
Secrecy
Scammers may tell you not to contact your bank, family, law enforcement, or a government agency.
Specific Payment Demands
Scammers often insist on payment methods that are hard to trace or hard to reverse.
Impersonation
Scammers pretend to be a government agency, bank, company, celebrity, romantic partner, or loved one.
Slam the Scam
“Slam the Scam” is a national effort to help people recognize government imposter scams and other fraud warning signs. Iowa Fraud Fighters brings that same prevention message directly to communities across Iowa.
Federal: Slam the Scam
Scammers often pretend to be from a government agency, say there is a problem or prize, pressure people to act immediately, and demand payment in a specific way.
View SSA Scam ResourcesIowa: Fraud Fighters
Iowa Fraud Fighters provides scam education, reporting resources, videos, workbooks, and community events to help Iowans avoid and report fraud.
Visit Iowa Fraud Fighters2026 Stop the Scammers Tour
Iowa Fraud Fighters’ 2026 Stop the Scammers Tour includes free educational events across Iowa. Reservations may be required, and event availability may change.
April 30 · Indianola
Indianola Golf Club
8:00–9:30 a.m.
April 30 · Atlantic
The Venue
12:00–1:30 p.m.
April 30 · Council Bluffs
Holiday Inn & Suites
5:00–6:30 p.m.
May 12 · Coralville
Brown Deer Golf Course
12:00–1:30 p.m.
May 12 · Davenport
The River Center
5:00–6:30 p.m.
May 13 · Dyersville
Fuse Restaurant
8:30–10:00 a.m.
May 13 · Cedar Falls
Hilton Garden Inn
12:30–2:00 p.m.
May 13 · Ames
Gateway Hotel and Conference Center
5:00–6:30 p.m.
May 28 · Oskaloosa
Environmental Learning Center
12:00–1:30 p.m.
May 28 · Riverside
Riverside Casino and Golf Resort
5:00–7:30 p.m.
May 29 · Cedar Rapids
Hilton Garden Inn
8:30–10:00 a.m.
May 29 · Newton
DMACC Newton Campus
12:00–1:30 p.m.
June 3 · Johnston
Iowa Bankers Association
12:00–1:30 p.m.
For the latest details and registration status, visit the official Iowa Fraud Fighters tour page.
Stop Before You Pay
A real government agency, business, bank, or law enforcement office will not tell you to protect your money by buying gold, withdrawing cash, using a crypto ATM, buying gift cards, or sending money through a payment app.
Crypto ATMs or Crypto Transfers
Only scammers demand cryptocurrency as payment. Do not deposit cash into a crypto ATM because someone on the phone, online, or in an app tells you to.
Zelle, CashApp, PayPal, Venmo, or Similar Apps
Payment apps can move money quickly and may be hard to reverse. Be cautious if someone unexpected pressures you to send money this way.
Gold Bars, Cash, Gift Cards, or Wire Transfers
Scammers may ask you to buy gold, withdraw cash, send a wire, buy gift cards, or hand valuables to a courier. Treat that as a major red flag.
Common Scam Types
Open each topic to see what it may look like, common warning signs, and steps you can take.
In an imposter scam, someone pretends to be a trusted person, company, agency, or organization. Scammers may claim there is an emergency, suspicious account activity, unpaid fees, legal trouble, or a prize waiting for you.
What it can look like
- A fake PayPal, bank, or account alert says you must call immediately.
- A caller claims to be from the government, law enforcement, Medicare, Social Security, or the IRS.
- A fake company, utility, tech support agent, or celebrity account contacts you unexpectedly.
Red flags
- Threats of arrest, fines, account closure, deportation, or legal trouble.
- Instructions to move money to “protect it.”
- Demands for crypto, gift cards, cash, gold, wire transfer, or payment apps.
What to do
- Hang up, stop replying, and do not click links.
- Contact the agency, bank, or company using a verified website or phone number.
- Do not trust caller ID, links, phone numbers, or account names sent by the person contacting you.
Romance and celebrity relationship scams use trust, affection, admiration, or emotional pressure. The scammer may claim to be a celebrity, military member, contractor, investor, worker overseas, or romantic partner. Eventually, the relationship turns into requests for money, gifts, crypto, banking help, or investment deposits.
What it can look like
- A celebrity or public figure appears to contact you privately.
- A romantic interest avoids meeting in person or making normal video calls.
- The person asks for money because of an emergency, travel problem, frozen account, or investment opportunity.
Red flags
- They ask for money, gift cards, crypto, wire transfers, or payment app transfers.
- They ask you to receive, move, or forward money for them.
- They tell you not to discuss the relationship or payments with family, friends, or your bank.
What to do
- Stop sending money and do not send more to recover earlier losses.
- Save messages, usernames, payment details, receipts, wallet addresses, and screenshots.
- If you paid by card, wire, gift card, payment app, or crypto, contact the company or bank immediately and ask what recovery options exist.
Investment scams often promise high returns with little or no risk. Pig butchering scams may begin as friendship, romance, wrong-number texts, social media messages, or online chats before shifting into a fake investment platform or crypto opportunity.
What it can look like
- A new friend, romantic interest, or online contact offers investment advice.
- A website or app shows fake profits and encourages more deposits.
- You are told to pay fees, taxes, penalties, or verification costs before withdrawing money.
Red flags
- Guaranteed profits, unusually high returns, or “no risk” promises.
- Pressure to use cryptocurrency, a crypto ATM, wire transfer, or payment app.
- The platform will not let you withdraw unless you pay more money.
What to do
- Do not send more money to recover earlier losses.
- Save wallet addresses, transaction records, platform names, websites, messages, and screenshots.
- Contact your financial institution and report the scam as soon as possible.
Blackmail scams use fear, embarrassment, or threats to pressure someone into sending money. Some claims are fake. Others may involve real account access, private information, or images. The scammer’s goal is to make you panic and pay quickly.
What it can look like
- Threats to share photos, videos, messages, or personal details.
- Claims that your device, email, or social media account was hacked.
- Demands for crypto, gift cards, payment apps, or wire transfers to make the threat stop.
Red flags
- The person demands payment immediately.
- The person tells you not to contact anyone else.
- The threat escalates after you respond or pay.
What to do
- Do not pay or continue negotiating.
- Save screenshots, usernames, phone numbers, payment demands, and messages.
- Secure your accounts and report threats when appropriate.
Account takeover happens when someone gets access to your email, social media, payment, shopping, or financial account. Scammers may steal money, impersonate you, message your contacts, reset other passwords, or lock you out.
What it can look like
- You cannot log in to an account.
- Friends receive strange messages from your profile.
- You see purchases, password changes, login alerts, or recovery changes you did not make.
Red flags
- Unexpected verification codes or password reset emails.
- Messages asking you to click links or confirm account details.
- New recovery emails, phone numbers, devices, or login locations.
What to do
- Change passwords from a trusted device.
- Turn on multi-factor authentication when available.
- Warn contacts if the account was used to message others.
Marketplace scams may involve fake sellers, fake buyers, fake auctions, fake rental or land listings, fake prize claims, or online purchases that never arrive. Scammers often try to move the transaction outside normal protections.
What it can look like
- A seller asks you to pay outside the platform.
- A prize or PCH-style message says you won but must pay taxes, fees, or shipping first.
- A land, vehicle, rental, auction, or product listing seems too good to be true.
Red flags
- Pressure to pay before verifying ownership, title, legitimacy, or delivery.
- Requests for wire transfers, payment apps, crypto, gift cards, or cash.
- Refusal to use normal purchase protections, platform messaging, or secure payment options.
What to do
- Use secure payment methods and platform protections when available.
- Verify property, title, ownership, seller identity, and business information independently.
- Do not pay taxes, fees, shipping, or processing costs to claim a prize.
Scams can arrive by phone, text, email, letter, pop-up warning, social media message, ad, or app. The delivery method changes, but the warning signs often stay the same.
What it can look like
- A pop-up says your computer is infected and tells you to call support.
- A text says there is a package, toll, delivery, job, prize, or account problem.
- An email or letter says you must pay, verify information, or respond immediately.
Red flags
- Links asking for login, payment, or personal information.
- Caller ID, email addresses, links, or websites that look slightly wrong.
- Urgency, threats, rewards, or instructions that do not make sense.
What to do
- Do not click links from unexpected messages.
- Go directly to the official website or app.
- Save evidence if needed, then delete suspicious messages.
Scam Spotlights
Many scams follow similar patterns but use different stories, platforms, or pressure tactics. Select a topic below to learn common warning signs and what scammers often want from victims.
Payment Requests That Should Make You Stop
Scammers often tell people exactly how to pay because those methods can be fast, hard to trace, and hard to reverse.
Crypto ATM or Crypto Transfer
No legitimate business or government agency will require cryptocurrency to fix a problem, protect your money, unlock an account, or pay a fee.
Payment Apps
Be cautious with Zelle, CashApp, PayPal, Venmo, or similar apps when someone unexpected asks for money, especially if they create urgency or fear.
Gold, Cash, Gift Cards, or Wire Transfers
If someone asks for gift card numbers, cash, gold bars, a wire transfer, or a courier pickup, stop. These are common scam payment demands.
Try a Red Flag Check
Practice spotting the pattern before the pressure takes over.
You get a message that looks like PayPal. It says you were charged hundreds of dollars and must call a number immediately to cancel the charge. What should you do?
If You Already Sent Money
You are not alone. Acting quickly can sometimes limit losses and help protect your accounts.
Contact Your Bank or Payment Provider
Call your bank, credit card company, or payment app immediately and report the transaction. Ask if it can be stopped, reversed, or flagged.
Do Not Send More Money
Scammers often promise refunds, recovery, or account fixes if you send more money. This is almost always another scam.
Report the Scam
Report what happened to your bank, to our office, and to federal agencies. Reporting helps track patterns and protect others.
Watch for Recovery Scams
Be cautious of anyone who contacts you claiming they can recover your money for a fee. This is a common follow-up scam targeting victims.
What to Save
- Screenshots of messages, emails, or chats
- Phone numbers and email addresses used
- Usernames, profiles, or account IDs
- Payment receipts or transaction records
- Gift card numbers or purchase receipts
- Crypto wallet addresses or transaction IDs
- Shipping details or package tracking info
- Websites or links the scammer used
- Instructions the scammer gave you
You do not have to know the exact scam name to report it. Save messages, receipts, payment records, phone numbers, usernames, wallet addresses, websites, gift card numbers, shipping details, screenshots, and any instructions the scammer gave you.
Federal Scam & Fraud Alerts
Federal agencies regularly publish scam alerts and consumer warnings. Use these links to find current national alerts and prevention guidance.
FTC Consumer Alerts
Current consumer advice, scam alerts, and fraud prevention guidance from the Federal Trade Commission.
View FTC AlertsSSA Scam Alerts
Social Security-related scam warnings, reporting links, and Slam the Scam resources.
View SSA AlertsFTC RSS Feeds
RSS options for FTC consumer blogs, data spotlights, and consumer protection updates.
View RSS FeedsFederal Reporting Resources
Different agencies collect different types of reports. You may need to report the same incident in more than one place, especially if it involves online crime, unwanted calls or texts, identity theft, or investment fraud.
Federal Trade Commission
Use for scams, fraud, deceptive business practices, online shopping problems, imposter scams, and many general consumer fraud issues.
Report to FTCFBI Internet Crime Complaint Center
Use for internet or cyber-enabled crime, including online fraud, phishing, business email compromise, ransomware, crypto scams, and online extortion.
Report to IC3Federal Communications Commission
Use for unwanted calls, robocalls, scam texts, spoofed numbers, and certain phone, internet, TV, radio, or accessibility-related complaints.
Report to FCCIdentityTheft.gov
Use if someone used your personal information, opened accounts in your name, accessed your accounts, or you need an identity theft recovery plan.
Get Recovery HelpSecurities and Exchange Commission
Use for suspected securities fraud, investment account issues, Ponzi schemes, market manipulation, or problems with an investment professional.
Report to SECCommodity Futures Trading Commission
Use for commodities, futures, forex, precious metals, derivatives, and certain crypto-related fraud involving commodity markets.
Report to CFTCWhat To Do Now
If you already responded, sent money, shared information, or lost account access, act quickly and save evidence.
