Scam Detective
Research desk · Reports series · Free to cite

The scam wave, in numbers — an ongoing series.

Each edition is a dated data drop from Scam Detective’s research desk: the scam patterns newly documented that week, the costumes they wear, and where the money exits — every pattern linked to its full verdict page. Free to read, and free to quote with attribution and a link.

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2026-10-19This Week's Scam Wave, in NumbersThis week's scam wave in numbers: 4 net-new patterns documented — counterfeit World Series tickets ahead of Friday's Game 1 in Milwaukee, a “campaign investment pool” promising payouts on donations, the ballot-disqualification text election officials are debunking coast to coast, and HealthCare.gov lookalikes plus rogue “agents” ahead of ACA open enrollment on Nov. 1.Latest edition2026-10-14This Week's Scam Wave, in NumbersThis week's scam wave in numbers: 4 net-new patterns documented — “view your COLA notice” lures launched hours after the real 3.6% announcement, “your health benefits are about to expire” renewal shakedowns on the eve of Medicare open enrollment, a $60 million sextortion “rescue” the FTC says was the second scam, and fake FEMA aid plus “insurance-coordinated” tree-service texts trailing Hurricane Isaias.Edition 122026-10-10This Week's Scam Wave, in NumbersThis week's scam wave in numbers: 7 net-new patterns documented — a “scarefest” selling tickets to events that don't exist, fake “claim your Amazon settlement refund” messages riding a real $1.5 billion payout, order-problem and recall texts tailing $10 billion of Big Deal Days deliveries, hot-toy scarcity cons, seasonal-hiring impostors, and midterm donation harvesting.Edition 112026-10-06This Week's Scam Wave, in NumbersThis week's scam wave in numbers: 7 net-new patterns documented — fake Amazon stores riding Prime Big Deal Days, lookalike Medicare sites buying the top search slot before open enrollment, a Google “security alert” hosted on Google's own domain, and a Marketplace listing that wears your name.Edition 102026-10-01Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2026: The Scams That Keep WorkingA seasonal hub for Cybersecurity Awareness Month: 20 of the strongest verdict pages from the research desk, grouped by the four costumes that keep working — impersonation & fake stores, phishing texts & delivery scams, AI-voice & deepfake cons, and marketplace & payment red flags.Seasonal hub2026-09-29This Week's Scam Wave, in NumbersThis week's scam wave in numbers: 8 net-new patterns documented — AI-generated “police” on video calls, fake iPhone 18 pre-order stores riding launch week, farm-equipment dealers that vanish after the wire, and a “free AI upgrade” that steals your Google account.Edition 92026-09-15This Week's Scam Wave, in NumbersThis week's scam wave in numbers: 8 net-new patterns documented — AI-cloned car dealership sites, a CAPTCHA trick that can tunnel into your whole network, jail-roster bail scams timed to real arrests, and Dolly Parton memorial fraud live within two hours of her death.Edition 82026-08-28This Week's Scam Wave, in NumbersThis week's scam wave in numbers: 8 net-new patterns documented — fake iCloud storage warnings, government grant calls, hostage-load movers, Cash App money flips.Edition 72026-08-19This Week's Scam Wave, in NumbersThe August 15 wave hasn't crested — so this edition publishes the 10 scam scripts verbatim, word for word, with the 5 red flags and 3 steps for each pattern.Edition 62026-08-15This Week's Scam Wave, in NumbersThis week's scam wave in numbers: 10 net-new patterns documented — fake Coinbase withdrawal texts, QR-code password emails, deepfake boss video calls, Medicare impostor calls.Edition 52026-08-12This Week's Scam Wave, in NumbersThis week's scam wave in numbers: 10 net-new patterns documented — Bitcoin-ATM payment demands, sextortion with your real address, fake CAPTCHA malware, WhatsApp investment clubs.Edition 42026-08-09This Week's Scam Wave, in NumbersThis week's scam wave in numbers: 9 net-new patterns documented — closing-day wire fraud, Telegram task-job cons, hijacked search-ad support numbers, counterfeit livestreams.Edition 32026-08-02This Week's Scam Wave, in NumbersThis week's scam wave in numbers: 10 net-new patterns documented — fake jury-duty warrants, utility shutoff threats, flight-cancellation texts, Marketplace seller cons.Edition 22026-07-30This Week's Scam Wave, in NumbersThis week's scam wave in numbers: 10 new patterns documented — fake customs and DMV texts, wrong-number openers, deepfake celebrity ads, gold-bar couriers.Edition 1
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Every edition may be quoted with attribution to Scam Detective and a link to its page. Figures describe the mix of scam patterns our research desk verified and published that week — counts of documented patterns, not victim counts or loss estimates. Each edition carries its own methodology note.

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