Scam spotting

Check the domain before the design: fake sites use lookalike characters, extra words, or unusual endings. Then check what it asks for — a real institution never requests passwords or one-time codes through a link.

Urgency, a shortened link, and a refund or prize as the reason to hand over details. Any message pushing you to act immediately is worth verifying through a channel you found yourself.

Guaranteed capital, guaranteed returns, and any 'risk-free' claim about a market-linked product. A promise like that is itself the warning sign, whoever is making it.

It pays earlier investors with later investors' money and has no real source of profit. The tells are unusually steady high returns, a business model nobody can explain, and heavy pressure to recruit.

The sequence is consistent: build affection, display wealth, then steer you to a specific investment platform. Phrases about inside access, guaranteed gains, or starting small before going bigger confirm it.

Delivery labels, public Wi-Fi, casual prize-draw forms, over-permissive apps, and geotagged photos. Individually harmless, they combine into enough detail for a convincing targeted approach.

Health products sold as investments, callers impersonating police or tax officials, fake benefit or pension claims, and messages pretending to be a relative in trouble.

Yes — this section is one. Texts, adverts, chat logs and web pages adapted from real patterns, judged one by one, with the tell explained when you miss it.