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Scammers are all about spinning lies, but they still operate in the real world. Many scammers pretend to be well-known businesses to gain trust and make their stories seem more believable.^[1],[2]And scammers use real-world methods to contact people and to get paid. Reports to the FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network point to some of their favorites.

Let’s start with the most-impersonated companies. According to 2023 reports, Best Buy’s Geek Squad, Amazon, and PayPal top that list. But reported losses tell a different story: losses were highest when scammers impersonated Microsoft and Publishers Clearing House.^[3] The scammers impersonating these businesses work in very different ways. For example, phony Geek Squad emails tell you that a computer service you never signed up for is about to renew – to the tune of several hundred dollars. Microsoft impersonation scams start with a fake security pop-up warning on your computer with a number to call for “help.”^[4] And calls from the fake Publishers Clearing House say you’ll have to pay fees to collect your (fake) sweepstakes winnings.
 

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Reports about all types of fraud also tell us how scammers contacted their targets. Last year, people told us that scammers were most often reaching out by email and phone calls. But people also told us that they lost the most money on scams that started on social media.^[5]People most frequently named Facebook and Instagram in these reports,^[6] and most often reported online shopping scams that started with ads on social media. However, the largest reported losses to scams starting on social media platforms were to investment scams.

How scammers get their money varies by the type of scam, too. For example, people who report investment scams most often say they “invested” with cryptocurrency or via bank transfer.^[7] Reported payments to scammers by these two methods added up to the highest losses in 2023, both per person and in total.^[8] And many people reported using payment apps and services, most often in connection with online shopping scams.^[9] Most people who reported using a payment app or service named the company they used, with PayPal, Cash App, Zelle, Venmo, and Apple Pay most often reported in 2023.

Gift cards were the top reported payment method on several types of scams in 2023, including romance scams, tech support scams, government impersonation scams, and scams that impersonate people you know, like your boss or a grandchild. Reports show that scammers specify what gift card brand to buy, which most people named in their reports. In 2023, Apple cards were far and away the most reported gift card brand, followed by Target, eBay, Walmart and Amazon gift cards.^[10]

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So, how can you spot and avoid these and other scams?

• Stop and check it out. Before you do anything else, talk with someone you trust. Anyone who’s rushing you into sending money, buying gift cards, or investing in cryptocurrency is almost certainly a scammer.
• Never click on links or respond to unexpected messages, and never trust caller ID. If you think a story might be legit, contact the company or agency using a phone number or website you know is real.
• Don’t pay anyone who demands that you pay by gift card, cryptocurrency, money transfer, or payment app. Only scammers say there’s only one way to pay.

And what can businesses do? At minimum, make it easier for customers to reach you to find out what communications are legit. Of course, shifting responsibility onto your customers isn’t the answer, so look to your workforce’s ingenuity to deploy solutions that protect your loyal customers and your good name.

To spot and avoid scams – and learn how to recover money if you paid a scammer – visit ftc.gov/scams. Visit business.ftc.gov to get resources and advice for businesses. Report scams to the FTC at