Guide

Common scams explained

A handful of scam types account for most of the money stolen each year. Learn these patterns once and you’ll recognize countless variations. Here are the most common.

Phishing and smishing

Phishing emails and smishing texts pretend to be from a company you know, like your bank or a delivery service. They want your login, card details, or a click on a malicious link.

  • Generic greetings and a sense of urgency are common.
  • Links lead to look-alike sites that capture what you type.
  • Defense: go to the company’s real site or app yourself instead of clicking.

Tech support and pop-up scams

A pop-up, call, or email warns that your computer is infected and tells you to call a number. The “technician” then asks for remote access or payment to fix a problem that doesn’t exist.

  • Real companies don’t cold-call you about viruses.
  • Never give remote access to someone who contacted you.
  • Defense: close the pop-up, don’t call the number, and run your own trusted security check.

Impostor and romance scams

Impostor scams involve someone pretending to be the government, your bank, or a relative. Romance scams build a fake relationship online and then ask for money.

  • Impostors demand payment by gift card, wire, or crypto.
  • Romance scammers avoid video calls and meeting in person, then hit a “crisis.”
  • Defense: verify identity independently and never send money to someone you haven’t met.

How Oversight helps

Whatever the scam, Oversight gives you a fast second opinion. Screenshot the message and get a 0-100 risk score, a clear verdict, and sub-scores for Sender Trust, Link Safety, Content Safety, and Auth Score.

  • Works across email, texts, DMs, screenshots, and calls.
  • Catches phishing, impersonation, urgency, and unsafe links.
  • Assistive, not a guarantee. Confirm requests through a trusted channel.

Questions, answered

What is the most common scam?

Phishing, in its many forms, is the most widespread. It is cheap to send to millions of people, so even a low response rate pays off for the scammer.

How do I avoid tech support scams?

Remember that legitimate tech companies never cold-call you to warn about a virus. Don’t call numbers in pop-ups, and never grant remote access to an unsolicited caller.

What ties all these scams together?

Each one creates urgency and pushes you toward an irreversible payment or handing over credentials. Spot that pattern and you can spot almost any scam.

Not sure if it’s a scam? Get a verdict in 3 seconds.

Oversight is a free AI scam detector and scam checker for email, texts, DMs, and calls. Screenshot anything and know if it’s a scam before you tap or pay.

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