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Articles · Scammers · 4 min read
How to identify a scammer
You can't identify a scammer by who they claim to be — the profile, the badge, the accent can all be faked. You identify them by what they do.
1. They compress time
Real banks, buyers, and officials can wait an hour. Scammers can't — pressure is the only thing keeping you from checking.
2. They move you somewhere quieter
Off the marketplace, off the dating app, onto WhatsApp or Telegram — away from the platform's protections and records.
3. They steer the payment
Bank transfer, gift cards, crypto: whatever can't be reversed. The moment payment method becomes non-negotiable, you have your answer.
The four main types of scammers
Four characters, one script: gain trust, add pressure, take the money.
The Catfisher
Months of romance, then the emergency that needs money
The False Official
Your 'bank' or the 'police', calling about your account
The Fraud Group
Fake shops, fake couriers, fake payment pages — at scale
The Sure Thing
Investment returns nobody real can promise
Whoever they pretend to be, the moves are the same: unsolicited contact, manufactured urgency, irreversible payment. Identify the moves and it stops mattering who they claim to be.
Knowledge fades.
Unless it’s used.
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