Banking & Wire
Pig Butchering Investment Scam
A wrong-number text becomes a friendship, then an investment tip on a platform that shows fake profits. Learn how pig butchering works and why withdrawals always fail.
11 min readUpdated July 24, 2026
Independent · Primary-sourced · Free
Recognize the scam. Recover the money. Report it properly.
ScamAlert publishes plain-English guides to the frauds actually targeting people right now — bank impersonation texts, fake delivery and toll notices, payment app traps, AI voice cloning and investment fraud. Every guide is checked against primary sources and includes a recovery timeline and the official agencies to report to.
- Checked against primary sources
- Every dispute timeline and liability rule is traced back to the regulation or agency guidance it comes from.
- No second-hand citations
- We cite the FTC, FBI IC3 and CFPB directly — never other scam blogs.
- No affiliate incentives
- We do not take commissions from security products, so we can tell you when one is not worth buying.
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Scam categories
Four hubs covering how consumer fraud actually reaches you
Start with the category that matches how you were contacted — a text, a card, a call, or a listing.
Banking & Wire Frauds
How bank impersonation, fake fraud alerts and wire transfer scams work — and the exact steps and deadlines for getting your money recalled or refunded.
3 guides →
Credit Card & Payment Frauds
Card skimming, contactless fraud and peer-to-peer payment scams on Zelle, Venmo and Cash App — with the dispute rights that actually apply to each.
3 guides →
AI & Digital Cyber Scams
Generative AI has made impersonation cheap and convincing. Learn how voice cloning, deepfake video and malicious QR codes are used against ordinary consumers.
5 guides →
Non-Banking & E-Commerce Scams
Fake remote jobs, overpayment check scams, marketplace fraud and bogus online stores — the scams that reach people through ordinary daily activity.
2 guides →
Latest guides
Recently published and updated
Scam tactics change quickly. Each guide carries a visible last-reviewed date so you know how current it is.
AI & Cyber
Unpaid Toll Text Scam
A text claims you owe a small unpaid toll and threatens a late fee. Learn why toll smishing became the most reported text scam, and how to check a real toll balance safely.
9 min readUpdated July 23, 2026
Everyday Scams
Facebook Marketplace Scams
Why a Marketplace buyer wants to send you a verification code, why deposits are always Zelle, and how to sell and buy locally without getting caught.
10 min readUpdated July 22, 2026
AI & Cyber
USPS Package Delivery Text Scam
A text says your USPS package is held for an incomplete address and asks for a small redelivery fee. Here is how the scam works, why the fee is not the point, and what to do.
9 min readUpdated July 21, 2026
Banking & Wire
IRS & Social Security Scam Calls
A caller says your Social Security number is suspended or that the IRS has a warrant. Learn how government imposter scams work and what these agencies actually do.
10 min readUpdated July 19, 2026
Cards & Payments
Gift Card Scams & Draining
Nobody legitimate is ever paid in gift cards. Learn why fraudsters insist on them, how in-store card draining works, and what to do in the first hour after paying.
9 min readUpdated July 17, 2026
The short version
Six rules that stop almost every scam in this library
If you remember nothing else from this site, remember these.
- 01
Never act on an inbound contact
Hang up and call back on a number you looked up yourself. This single habit defeats bank impersonation, voice cloning and tech support scams.
- 02
Codes are never spoken aloud
A one-time passcode is for you to type. Anyone asking you to read one back is authorizing something on your account right now.
- 03
There is no safe account
No bank asks you to move money to protect it. If an account is compromised, they freeze it where it is.
- 04
Available is not cleared
A deposited check can be reversed weeks later, and you owe the full amount. Never forward money against a check from a stranger.
- 05
Match the rail to the trust
Credit cards for strangers, P2P apps only for people you could call by name. Zelle and crypto behave like cash.
- 06
Secrecy means fraud
No genuine emergency or legal process requires you to hide it from your family. That request exists to stop you verifying.
Report a scam to the right agency
Reporting rarely recovers money on its own, but it drives enforcement and carrier-level blocking. Contact your bank first.
FTC — ReportFraud.ftc.govThe US Federal Trade Commission’s official fraud reporting portal.FBI IC3 — Internet Crime Complaint CenterReport internet-enabled crime, wire fraud and cyber-enabled theft to the FBI.CFPB — Consumer Financial Protection BureauFile a complaint against a bank, card issuer or payment app that refuses to help.IdentityTheft.govGet a personalized identity theft recovery plan and affidavit.
These are official government resources. ScamAlert is not affiliated with any government agency and receives no compensation for these links.
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