Is this a scam?
Paste the text or email, or describe the call. You'll get a calm, instant read — the red flags marked in your own message, and, when it matches one we've documented, a link to the full guide and how to recover.
Nothing you paste leaves your browser — this check runs entirely on your device.
Checked against 114 documented scam patterns · transparent pattern-matching, not AI. A second opinion, not a guarantee.
What this checks
Every message is compared against 114 documented scam patterns drawn from our reviewed scam guides — each one checked against the FTC, FBI IC3, and CFPB, the same public data behind our scam statistics. A pattern captures the brand a scam impersonates, the look-alike web address it uses, and the exact phrases it leans on. On top of that, we look for red flags that cut across every channel:
- Look-alike or unofficial web links
- A deadline or threat to rush you
- Payment by gift card, wire, or crypto
- Requests for a login or verification code
- “Press 1” menus and callback numbers
- A prize or gift you never signed up for
How it works
The check happens in your browser. Nothing you paste is uploaded, logged, or stored — it never leaves your device.
It's plain pattern-matching against 114 known scams and a fixed red-flag library. No black box — we mark exactly what we found in your message.
When we can't identify a scam, we say so and count the red flags. A clean result is a second opinion, never a guarantee.
How to read your result
- It matches a known scam
- The message carries a documented scam's fingerprint — its look-alike web address or the brand it impersonates plus real red flags. We link you straight to the reviewed guide for that scam and how to recover.
- Red flags, but no exact match
- We can't tie it to a specific scam we've catalogued, but it shows tells that legitimate senders don't use. Treat it as suspicious and verify it yourself before acting.
- No red flags found
- It doesn't match a known scam and shows none of the usual tells. That's reassuring — but still check anything about money or accounts by contacting the company yourself.
Common questions
- How does the scam checker work?
- It compares what you paste against 114 documented scam patterns pulled from our reviewed guides — the brands scammers impersonate, the look-alike web addresses they use, and their tell-tale phrases — plus a fixed library of red flags like urgency, gift-card or crypto demands, and requests for a login code. It's transparent pattern-matching, not AI, and it runs entirely in your browser.
- Is anything I paste sent to a server or stored?
- No. The whole check runs on your device in your browser. The message you paste is never uploaded, logged, or stored anywhere — we only record an anonymous count of how many checks return a scam, a warning, or all-clear, never the content.
- Does “no red flags found” mean it's definitely safe?
- No. It means the message doesn't match a known scam pattern and doesn't show the usual tells — reassuring, but not proof. Always verify a message the safe way: open the company's app or type its real web address yourself, and never act on a link or number inside a message you didn't expect.
This is an automated second opinion — genuinely useful, but not a substitute for your own judgement. When it matches one of our 114 reviewed scam guides, that guide is the one checked against the FTC, FBI IC3, and CFPB. When in doubt, don't tap the link, don't call the number, and don't pay anyone.