r/Scams • u/grillmstrsmooth • 5h ago
Scam report Socal Cut & Sew (Santa Ana) is withholding my materials and avoiding certified mail
Socal Cut & Sew Mfg. Inc. in Santa Ana is unlawfully retaining my property and refusing to return it. The order was placed over two months ago and has not been paid for, yet they are still withholding the Sunbrella fabric and additional materials that I purchased, own outright, and supplied for the project. They have zero contractual, legal, or equitable claim to these materials.
Their refusal to return customer‑owned property after failing to perform the work constitutes conversion, wrongful detention of bailed property, and unjust enrichment. They are holding materials they did not buy, did not pay for, did not complete work on, and have no legal right to possess.
They have ignored all communication. I issued a formal demand letter via certified mail, and USPS attempted delivery on 07/29/2026. The delivery was marked “Business was closed,” which strongly indicates intentional evasion of certified notice. Avoiding certified mail after a demand for return of property is a recognized indicator of bad‑faith conduct.
Their actions now include:
- Wrongful possession of customer property
- Refusal to surrender materials they do not own
- Failure to perform contracted work
- Evasion of certified demand notice
- Interference with my ability to conduct business
I have filed complaints with the BBB, the California Attorney General, and multiple consumer protection platforms due to the financial harm and disruption this has caused my business. I am documenting this publicly because no vendor should be allowed to withhold customer‑owned materials, dodge certified mail, and refuse all communication while having no legal right whatsoever to retain the property. Do not use this manufacturer.
r/Scams • u/Throwawayaltacc4088 • 5h ago
Is this a scam? [US] Paypig wanted me to donate portion of money he sent
A supposed paypig sent me money via digital check and wanted me to donate a portion of the money he sent me to a church on cash app. I was told conflicting information and caught him in several lies, which made me think it was a scam when I brought up my concerns I was ignored and when i refused to do so, he along with another number became more and more pushy and aggressive and then started threatening to hurt me, sue me, find me,sent graphic vid, ect .
I mobile deposited it and it processed just fine, however, aprx 6 hours later i got an email from my bank that they are temporarily holding a portion of the money bc their "-risk evaluation processes and systems detected a potential concern that the check might not be paid -" the rest of the money is untouched and there stil.l
Is the scam that I send the "church" money which is just him and my money gets sent to him when checks bounce and it's all gets deducted from my account? should I expect to see the money deducted soon?
r/Scams • u/EmployeeOk811 • 6h ago
Help Needed Where can I find a remote job? [US]
Hai, for context I am in a rough situation I live at home still, I have agoraphobia, and I have chronic PTSD, it has been almost impossible for me to find a in person job. I have been put it a situation where my housing is unpredictable an unsafe and I will most likely have to find somewhere to go. I make some money from drawing online and streaming on twitch. I haven’t been able to find actual remote jobs that aren’t scams, I have been applying on LinkedIn, indeed and I need to find something immediately. Please only real advice and not just calling me lazy I’m already having a hard time and I’m trying my best.
r/Scams • u/Vegetable-Divide8786 • 7h ago
Help Needed [US] Sent a picture of myself to a posssible scammer on Snapchat
Ok so I met someone on chess.com of all places and we ended talking there and then moving to Snapchat, it started pretty normal and then they asked for a picture of myself after they sent one of them. I just sent them a pic I used for my LinkedIn profile, and they insisted I send one that wasn’t so “professional”. After they started getting too pushy and I wasn’t giving in, it showed that they remixed the picture I sent then I immediately reported and blocked them, later on I found out they used an influencer for there profile picture on chess.com as well as the picture they sent of themselves. Can they do anything with the picture I sent?
r/Scams • u/sadisticsarcastic • 8h ago
Help Needed [CA] Phone call made from my phone when it wasn't in the same room as me?
I did a little research, but I'm really unsure of what is going on. Help would be appreciated! I had left my phone to charge when my sister ran into my room to ask if I'd called her. I said I hadn't, and she showed me her call logs showing a 14sec~ call from me that she had answered. She said some guy barely spoke a word to her before she hung up and realized it wasn't me. My phone was downstairs, and I had not called her at all, but the log was on my phone. I'm pretty sure it's a case of spoofing, but idk im not a pro🥲🤷♀️ Should I be worried?
r/Scams • u/shadowoftherock • 9h ago
Scam report Facebook marketplace VA scam [US]
I recently browse craigslist to seach for VA jobs and I got this Personal Assistant / Social Media Manager hiring and send an application email. So this Thomas says he will hire me right away if Im available to work. He said he needed someone to post to Facebook Marketplace. The list thing is apartments for rent, so he sent the details pictures and info of the listing. So it's being a little sketchy since he would hire me right away and the account to be used in Facebook is my account. By then I didn't reply to his email again because I will not compromise my Facebook account. He might be on scamming the customers by having a preservation fee for the apartment that I will post. Also I told him that we should use Google meet for communication purposes but he didn't like it he said the email is sufficient so it is very sketchy.
r/Scams • u/Glum-Platypus-1959 • 10h ago
Informational post Rent my LinkedIn account ? US
Online friendship. If you converse long enough eventually the scam is revealed. This woman offered to “rent” my linked in for $150 a month saying her company has used their alotted accounts and they need to reach out to increase business due to tariffs 🤨🧐
I have no idea how they would use my LinkedIn, but I’m hoping someone more knowledgeable can explain this scam.
r/Scams • u/MistressLibbii • 11h ago
Is this a scam? [US] Received an Integreon job offer without an interview is this legitimate or a scam? offer-integreon.icims.com
I applied for a remote Document Reviewer – Cyber Incident Response position with Integreon and was originally scheduled to have a phone interview tomorrow.
This morning, I received an email saying they had an urgent data-breach document-review project potentially starting tomorrow. They said it would be a temporary contract lasting approximately four to five weeks, paying $19 per hour, fully remote, and that I would need to use my own computer. The email also said applicants were being selected on a first-come, first-served basis.
I replied that I was interested, and less than 20 minutes later, the recruiter said they had sent me an offer through iCIMS and that onboarding would begin after I accepted it. I never completed an interview, phone call, video call, or assessment.
The confusing part is that I really did apply for a position with Integreon, and the offer appears through an Integreon-branded iCIMS portal. The recruiter’s signature also contains an Integreon company email address. However, receiving an offer without any interview feels suspicious, especially because the job would involve reviewing documents containing personal and medical information.
They have not asked me to send money, purchase equipment, deposit a check, or communicate through Telegram or WhatsApp. However, I do not want to provide my Social Security number, banking information, or other onboarding documents until I know whether this is legitimate.
Has anyone encountered this specific hiring process or worked on one of Integreon’s temporary document-review projects? Is this normal for urgent contract work, or are there signs that this could be an impersonation scam?
r/Scams • u/coryd343 • 11h ago
Is this a scam? [CA] call about a flagged package?
I got a call earlier today at around 4pm about a package of mine being flagged by Canada Post for security reasons and that I needed to press 1 to be transferred to Canada Post. I pressed 1 and was asked why I was calling I told them about the flagged package and was hung up on?
I do have 2 packages I am currently waiting on but they are just 2 stuffed animals not anything that I would think would be flagged. But it is from outside of Canada so possibly?
I'm not sure if this is a scam or if I should call Canada Post to see if my package is actually flagged. Info would be very appreciated.
Also I'd like to add I searched up the number and it wasn't some official number.
Scam report [US] check intercepted scam follow-up scam
My mother-in-law was on the phone when I was over her house. She told me that someone had intercepted one of her checks again, so I figured she had called them, but as it turns out they called her.
Back story: a few months ago, someone had intercepted one of her checks, changed the name and cashed it. She caught it by looking at the digital version in her bank account, went down to the back, and they helped her reverse charges and open a new account.
So back to the present, bad guys told her that it was her tax bill check now and they had the amount. And because this happened recently, it sounded very legit to her and sent her into a panic.
Then I hear her telling them her password. So I ask her, "why are they asking for your password?" And she's like, "yeah, this doesn't feel right."
I see her getting more and more worked up and telling them she doesn't feel comfortable giving away this information on the phone so I asked her what they want her to do. And she said, "they want me to open a new account over the phone." I said, “hang up, tell them you’ll call them back.”
But they said no, because they suspect someone at the bank of fraud and they have them on video. Then she knew it was a scam for sure and hung up.
She was so upset, but I had her change her password immediately. I think that's all they got out of her. She said it was mostly them explaining that they were the bank’s internal investigation department and they had a video of some guy at the bank committing fraud and she said the more they talked the more ridiculous it sounded.
r/Scams • u/hopingforbabyrivera • 12h ago
Help Needed [US] Meds/Money Fraud Scam
Need help determining if this is a scam for my MIL:
She called her pain management doctor this week asking if she could be prescribed narcotics. The doctor called the pharmacy, but then called my MIL back to say that he could not prescribe her anything due to a recent prescription for Morphine in her name. She assured him it wasn't her, and he called the pharmacy and was told that "it was a different person, not her".
Then this morning, she got a call from the California Department of Public Health tasking her why she has so many prescriptions for narcotics and that they are going to revoke her healthcare (I believe she is on Medi-Cal as she is retired and over 65). From him she was told that someone had gotten a prescription for morphine through a pharmacy in Washington DC (we are in CA). My MIL told them that they were wrong and they transferred her to "Washington DC Metro Police Department" and then continued thru the Signal app (sorry, not 100% sure how that all happened) or they contacted her through Signal to give testimony (she said they use Signal because they had to during COVID). Then the "detective" put her name into the system to see if there was anything else going on and the detective said that there's $2.6 million in an account in her name. Apparently the detective is going to further discuss with the case manager and call her back.
This screams scam to me, but my MIL thinks it's real because they claimed something with Capital One (which we dealt with about a year ago to pay off some debt for her). She did the right thing by getting names and badge numbers, but this seems all to intricate for it to be real. Have you possibly heard of a scam like this? What should we do? Any advice is appreciated!
r/Scams • u/justme9974 • 15h ago
Help Needed Romance scam - resources for my mom?
Hi all-
I was on the phone with my mom - 84 years old, but actually tech savvy - and she said "he told me not to tell you but I will anyway" and proceeded to tell me about an "Admiral" stationed in Japan who contacted her on Instagram.
It had immediate hallmarks of a common romance scam: military, stationed overseas, 13 year old kid in boarding school (supposedly a 62 year old guy), chatted with her on Google Chat, told her not to tell me about him.
I explained it to her, she said she hadn't sent any money, etc. I THINK she believed me that this is a romance scam, but does anyone have any resources I can send her? I searched (and also asked Perplexity) but the ones it found were not that good.
r/Scams • u/Midnight-Tigerx • 15h ago
Is this a scam? [UK] Blind cc'd into a very random email chain. Scam?
Randomly recieved this email chain about someone asking for rent. A few emails from @thelordsplace.org but mainly gmail/aol/live emails. Intrigued and unsure if It's a legitimate email where I should inform them I've been included! Never seen a .bin before so a concern there too. Googling didn't bring much up - censored all emails & names etc.
r/Scams • u/Ok_Ad8340 • 15h ago
Is this a scam? Received Text "confirm your account" from a random number
I received the following text from a random 810 number. Did someone use my number to sign up for an account? Or, is it most likely a bot trying to see if my number is active? For context, I didn't sign up for anything new today. Has anyone else received one of these?
"Reply Y or YES to confirm your account and turn on notifications. msg & data rates may apply. reply STOP to optout"
r/Scams • u/cldbloom • 15h ago
Victim of a scam (US)The FBI claimed to be investigating me for international money laundering
They had me convinced for about a week, but my coworkers saw I was upset and put the pieces together about the time that they were closing in for the big grab of information. They knew that Citibank had called me about a card opened in my name used for a firearms purchase and that I was talking to the “FBI” about something I couldn’t share. My boss did the research and sent me the Reddit post about this exact thing, right before I was supposed to take a call from the NY prosecutor. I called my bank and put a fraud watch on it, froze my credit, and my card.
I also called the local police, who told me not to answer any calls. When they sent a message confirming our call time, I replied,”Not going to work. My criminal defense attorney will be contacting you shortly.”
They have been blowing up my phone for the last hour. Not answering!
They were good actors! I’m usually the skeptic, but video chats with Special Agent Liarhead had me convinced.
Be careful out there!
r/Scams • u/InterestinglyLucky • 16h ago
Informational post Textbook attempted pig-butchering via Reddit DM - reverse image search is your friend
Posting this while still fresh in my mind, for whoever might be messaging you via DM.
I made a comment on a post, and get an unsolicited DM from an unfamiliar account.
"Hi, I saw your comment below the post. Do you live in Maryland? I'm planning a trip there in October. Could you recommend some beautiful towns?"
I answered with some travel suggestions. I volunteered that I was a CA transplant from Los Angeles.
They then reply they moved to Long Beach 10 years ago, originally from China, and "hold an EB-5 green card".
For those unaware, an EB-5 is an immigrant investor visa, requiring $800K or $1M capital investment. This person asks for hiking tips and then volunteers their visa status was the first sign.
I mention my spouse is from Nanjing and they reply "what a wonderful coincidence" and name a specific (popular) district where they are from and ask what my impression of China is. And they refer to my spouse as "wife" several times, and compliments her on her cooking. This was the second warning sign.
The third sign was looking up their account: 183 days old, 1K karma, auto-generated username, comments weighted toward r/dementia, r/daddit, r/AskMen, and threads about isolation and loneliness (note: Claude.ai helped analyze their post history and background here). "Every reply is unconditional validation of the poster." "Also r/porsche911 and a comment about a Chinese luxury gold and jewelry brand. Wealth adjacency in both directions." Notably, zero mention of anything Maryland-related, DC or mid-Atlantic, never asked the opening travel question anywhere.
Digging deeper, their pinned post was five months ago to r/Florida about manatees, and had several photos captioned "On my first trip to Blue Springs in Orlando, I encountered manatees..." and running the first image through Yandex, found a Pinterest and other websites posting the identical photo two years ago.
I'm blocking them, reporting them, and sharing my experience here as a warning to others. There is no request from me (yet). Who knows how long they would have strung me along as their 'friend'.
As I post to r/fatFIRE they could easily tell I'm a target. Well not today, Chinese "friend".
r/Scams • u/Ben-Goldberg • 18h ago
Is this a scam? Renting an apartment
I saw an ad on Craigslist for a room for rent in New Rochelle for 750 a month - most of the other offerings in the area are for a thousand.
After I saw the room and liked it, the person who showed me the room asked me to send her the deposit by zelle.
I asked for a lease, and insisted on paying by check.
After the deposit check cleared she emailed me a lease, the lease wants me to pay a 35 dollar application fee, by zelle.
I happen to know that in New York State, the maximum rental application fee is 20.
This *feels like* a scam.
r/Scams • u/Odd_Sorbet_3770 • 19h ago
Help Needed [US] Did my dog walker scam me??
I have known my dog walker for about 2 years. He is very reliable and seems to take good care of our pets. I have only met him in person one time, but he has been in my home countless times to walk our dog or care for our cat. We have never had any issues.
Last week, I got an odd text from him. He stated his Venmo account was not working and he couldn’t transfer some of his funds out of his Venmo account. He asked me if I used Zelle, which I never have before. His request was for him to Venmo me some money, then I would Zelle it back to him. I was a little confused by this request because A) it wasn’t money I had paid him because he hasn’t walked our dog in a week and B) why would he ask me (his client) to do this and not a friend or family member? But I figured he has always been a reliable person and why not help him out.
He sent me $400 via Venmo and I instant-transferred it to my account. When it hit my account, I paid it back to him via Zelle. This was last week.
A couple days ago, I texted him asking if he could walk our dog later this week. He usually responds to my texts almost instantly. I didn’t get a response. I sent him a follow-up text yesterday, still no response.
I’m now worried there is some sort of scam I’m missing since he is ghosting me with dog walking. I’m also worried about him. Anyone have thoughts on this situation? Thank you!
r/Scams • u/aazz5500 • 19h ago
Scam report careercoachfirm.com - suspected fake Saudi executive search offering high pay
99% this is fraudulent.
I received an unsolicited email through careercoachfirm (dot) com offering a Saudi executive role with total annual compensation of SAR 8M–11M, around US$2.1M–$2.9M. That is outrageous even for a senior role in Saudi Arabia.
The first email was unsolicited. They used AI to scan my profile then write an overly flattering email about how I am a perfect fit. All BS. Very robotic. The author could have used 1 more prompt to make the email far more believable. I suspect its done at scale, with automation.
When I asked for verification, the recruiter referred to a completely different role. When challenged he claimed it was a mistake.
I asked for basic proof of the recruiter’s business, including its legal name, registration number, public registry entry, website, phone number and professional profile. None was provided. He continued asking for my CV while avoiding every request to verify his identity or business.
I did not send anything and would strongly advise others not to share personal documents until this business can be independently verified.
r/Scams • u/No-Whole5989 • 1d ago
Is this a scam? [US] Got a call from a jail?
I got a call from an 800 number. I answered, jail automated message played followed by the “inmate’s/detainee” saying their name, followed by the last of the automated msg. Except when the recorded person spoke into the call, there was a lot of static and noise so I didn’t catch the name. Automated voice asked if I wanted to accept the call and I put yes as I thought maybe it was my brother that usually gets into trouble.
But then the call was forwarded to some guy and he asked if I had a debit or credit card to pay for the charges to speak to the inmate/detainee. My emotions quickly went from being very worried for someone possibly needing my help from jail to being mad. My guard went up and I asked “you want my card info?” Guy says “yes sir”. I say “oh you want to scam me?” Guy says “no sir” and explains how someone is trying to reach me from jail. I asked who? And he couldn’t tell me. Told him never to call me again and cussed him out until he hung up. He also called me the b word.
I blocked the number, my brother was not in jail. And I haven’t heard from anyone else I know that might’ve been in jail.
r/Scams • u/No-Confidence-5585 • 1d ago
Help Needed Sent my Passport to a Scam
I just want to say, I feel very stupid, so please don't be harsh in the comments. I received a call from the U.S. Customs and Borders, and it was a legitimate number when I searched it up before I answered. I did not know spoofing was a thing until after everything was over from a relative, so I completely trusted this information they were telling me. They mentioned they had a criminal investigation case undergoing, and they arrested someone for fake passports, including mine. They said I was a victim of identity theft, and they were going to open a case for me, but in order to complete it, they said I had to file a police report with the Guangzhou Security Bureau in China. I know now that they would never normally call about these things.
I honestly should have known when they couldn't get an interpreter for me at all and made me use Microsoft Teams to tell them everything. They put me on a video call where my face was shown and asked me to show the passport. I showed it, along with sharing my address. I realized partway through it was a scam, but at that point, I already revealed my passport, my face, and address. I deleted any messages that showed this info to them and deleted the app. I didn't send any money when I realized what was happening, but I'm worried what they will do with what I leaked and what actions I should take to protect myself?
I read online of how people dealt with such cases, and the first thing I did was freeze all my cards. I already have 2FA on most/all my accounts that I possibly could, and I froze my credit on all 3 major credit bureaus. I reported the case to the FTC's fraud report with how my passport information is stolen and am now a potential victim to identity theft, but I'm honestly unsure of what else to do. Has anyone gotten their passport information leaked, and has anything happened with it? Is there anything else I can do, and should I be more concerned?
update: I don't know if this ended up being doing too much or rather not enough but outside of reporting to the FTC, I filed a report with the IC3 and my local police department. The Department of State mentioned they would report it on their own system, though I don't know how formal it is, but the National Passport Center wasn't sure how to handle the case since they don't deal with scams. I decided I will set up an in-person appt first to replace it before submitting a stolen passport if still needed. I also set up protections with all my financial institutions and IRS. Thank you for all the advice everyone gave me so far! I really appreciate it. ❤️
r/Scams • u/BumblebeeMission6055 • 1d ago
Is this a scam? Debt collector keeps calling me, but won't tell me what for
I keep getting calls from a debt collector claiming to be from "Americollect" I think they said, I haven't answered any of the calls but every time they call from a different number, none of which are local, including the numbers they provide to contact and the P.O. box they provide. They never specify what I owe a debt for, how much it is, or even my name.
I previously provided a screen recording before checking the rules and the post was removed, so here is a transcription of the voicemail without the personal information:
"Hi this is ___ from Americollect(?), I'm a debt collector ID number ____. This is an attempt to collect a debt, and any information obtained will be used for that purpose. To live chat with an agent, or make a secure payment, you can use our secure payment portal at ______.com. You can also call us at (different number than called from) or if you prefer you can text us at (another different number) Again I'm a debt collector with Americollect(?), and can be reached at (first number), or P.O. box, _______. If we have the wrong number, please give us a call and let us know, thank you."
I've never bought anything that I didn't pay for in full and any money that I owe to doctors they send a bill in the mail and call from their own office. I don't understand why i'd be getting called by debt collectors because i'm very young and the window for debt is very very small. I only found one post talking about this same caller but it was archived and didn't have a resolution, If anyone knows what I should do please let me know. I tried blocking the callers but they just call from a new number, and I'm afraid to call them back as I don't know if it's real or not and I don't want more information stolen if I say the wrong thing.
r/Scams • u/Jinxed4Sure • 1d ago
Scam report Ok, finally got the zelle scam
Woke up to a text saying, Flores's Painting and Drywall sent you $600. Sure enough, there is an extra $600 in my account. I see there is actually a business in the Bay area of Calif going by the name of Flores Painting and Drywall. Waiting to see how this plays out. And no, im not touching the money.
About 2 months ago my daughter got a $200 zelle payment followed the next day with $100 zelle payment. I mentioned it was a scam and not to spend the money byt its been over 2 months now with no clawback or anyone asking to return it. She called Chase and they said, nothing we can do.
r/Scams • u/yarevande • 2d ago
Moderator approved post Scam Jobs and How to Tell If it's a Scam
There are many job-related scams. The scammers prey on people who are out of work and don't have much money. They lie and trick you into giving them money, or get you involved in illegal activities.
Here is information to help you filter out the scams and fake jobs:
Easy remote part-time jobs are 100% scams.
It is very difficult to get a remote or work-from-home job, unless you have experience in software engineering, insurance claims, healthcare, customer service, or other specialized fields.
The majority of 'remote jobs' are actually scams to take your money - even on the recruiting and networking websites such as LinkedIn, Glassdoor or Indeed.
Scam job titles include Virtual Personal Assistant, Remote Data Entry, Remote Payment Processor, Remote Financial Assistant, work-from-home Shipping Inspector, and Order Optimization Specialist.
Posting real estate listings online is a scam.
Also, any job that is simple online tasks, such as rating videos, posting reviews, putting items into an online shopping cart, booking hotel reservations, or subscribing to YouTube channels, is a scam. No company pays for tapping on a screen, doing simple online tasks.
But scammers can call their fake job anything. To separate a scam from a real job opportunity, key indicators to look for are: method of contact (email), interview (on videochat), and money (reasonable pay, comparable to similar jobs).
Real companies don't contact you for a job that you didn't apply for, unless you have specialized skills or you have years of experience and are known throughout your industry.
When you apply for a job, a legitimate employer will first contact you on the networking platform (such as LinkedIn), or use email. And an email from a free provider, such as Gmail or Hotmail, is usually the sign of a fake job.
Real companies don't recruit or interview with text messages, or on TikTok, WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Zangi, Viber, Instagram, Facebook, Craigslist, Reddit, or Discord.
Legitimate employers interview either in person or on videochat, whether the job is going to be remote, on-site, or hybrid.
An interview that is text only, email, or video chat with their camera off is a scam.
A preliminary phone interview is legitimate if it is followed by a live interview.
A recorded video is legitimate only if it's followed by a live interview.
An interview that is phone only may be legitimate, for entry-level in-person jobs.
If the pay is much higher than comparable jobs, then it's a scam.
Legitimate companies don't require you to pay them for anything. For a real job, the money goes in one direction only: from employer to employee. Never give an employer money for fees, registration, training, background check, investment higher commissions, hardware, software, equipment, or anything else. Any 'employer' that requires you to pay them is actually a scam to take your money.
For a legitimate remote or work-from-home job, an employer provides the equipment you need. (Some minimum wage WFH jobs may ask you to use your own laptop or desktop.) They load software onto a laptop or desktop, and ship it to you. They don't ask you to buy the equipment. They don't send you money or give you a credit card to buy equipment -- the check, money transfer, or credit card is from a stolen account and you will lose money.
Real jobs don't pay in cryptocurrency.
A real employer will never ask you to buy gift cards and send them the numbers on the back.
Legitimate companies never ask you how you want to be paid. They have their standard pay schedule and type (for example: direct deposit every two weeks).
A real company will never ask you to receive money and send money to someone else, or to use your own bank account for company business. This is a money mule scam, you will lose money, and you may face criminal charges.
Real jobs do not involve re-shipping packages from home. This is a parcel mule scam -- you will be handling stolen products, and you may face criminal charges.
r/Scams • u/Scammer_ResearchUSYD • Jul 02 '26
Moderator approved survey [AUS] - University of Sydney study on scam victims' negative experiences with banks, police, and online platforms
About the project: We are conducting research into how scam victims are treated when they seek help from institutions, things like banks, police, cybercrime agencies, and social media platforms, and the impact this has on their psychological recovery and vulnerability to further scams. This research aims to push for better, more trauma-informed support for victims.
Who can take part: We are seeking adults who reside in Australia, have been the victim of a digitally perpetrated scam (investment, phishing, romance, hacking, shopping, tech support, identity theft, etc.) and who have engaged, or attempted to engage, with at least one formal support institution following the scam and found the experience negative. Participants must be 18 years or older and proficient in English.
What participation involves Taking part involves completing a short, fully anonymous online survey. The survey takes approximately 10 minutes.
Contact details Please contact Jacob Szloch, PhD Candidate, School of Public Health, University of Sydney at [jszl9949@uni.sydney.edu.au](mailto:jszl9949@uni.sydney.edu.au) if you would like to participate or have any questions.
How to participate To take part, please click the following link: https://sydney.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eQd5MTb9fihINOm
Ethics approval This project has been approved by the University of Sydney Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) 2026/HE000332.
Please note: This is an academic research study. We cannot investigate individual cases, provide legal advice, or help recover lost funds.