Never Miss a Scam: Spot It with Trend Micro ScamCheck

Scammers are everywhere, and they use different ways to trick you into giving up personal information, clicking on harmful links, or sending money. Learn how to identify and avoid common scams in text messages, emails, links, calls, social media, ads, and videos. Plus, learn how Trend Micro ScamCheck can keep you safe.

How to Spot Scams in Different Communication Channels

Email Red Flags

• The sender's email address looks a bit off.
• Generic greetings like "Dear Customer" instead of your name.
• Urgent requests or threats.

What You Need To Do:

• Hover, Don’t Click: Hover over links to see if they match the real website.
• Delete With No Hesitation: Delete emails that look suspicious, especially if they have attachments.
• Scan and Verify: Use Trend Micro ScamCheck to analyze suspicious emails.

Text Message (SMS/MMS) Red Flags

• Unsolicited messages about prizes or urgent issues.
• Requests for personal information.
• Poor grammar or spelling errors.

What You Need To Do:

• Think Twice Before Clicking: Avoid clicking on links from unknown senders.
• Verify Before Acting: Contact the company directly through official channels.
• Report and Block: Report the message to your mobile carrier or Trend Micro ScamCheck.

Social Media or App Message Red Flags

• Offers of easy money, loans, or investments.
• Messages from someone pretending to be a friend or family member asking for help.
• Romance scams leading to financial requests.

What You Need To Do:

• Verify Before Trusting: Verify the sender's identity before responding.
• Keep It Personal: Don’t share sensitive details.
• Block and Report: Report and block suspicious accounts.

Advertisements (Ads) Red Flags

• Offers that seem too good to be true.
• Sites asking for personal or payment information that don’t seem secure.
• Overly aggressive or intrusive ads.

What You Need To Do:

• Be Skeptical: If an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is.
• Check the Link: Hover over links to see if they lead to a trustworthy site.
• Use Trend Micro ScamCheck: Verify if the ad or site is legitimate.
• Report Suspicious Ads: Take a screenshot and send it to Trend Micro ScamCheck.

Video or Live Stream Red Flags

• Mismatched features or unnatural angles (deepfake alert).
• Too good to be true offers.
• Emotional manipulation.

What You Need To Do:

• Think Before You Trust: Be cautious of perfect-looking videos or unrealistic offers.
• Report Suspicious Content: Report scam videos or livestreams to the platform.
• Verify the Source: Contact the organization or person directly.
• Use Trend Micro Check's Deepfake Scan/AI Video Scan: Detect manipulated videos with the Deepfake Scan (also known as AI Video Scan on iOS) feature.

Suspicious Links

• Strange domains or misspellings of well-known websites.
• Shortened links from unknown sources.

What You Need To Do:

• Pause and Check: Preview links by hovering over them or using a link verification tool.
• Go Straight to the Source: Search for the official website instead of clicking.
• Don’t Trust Unsolicited Links: Never provide personal information on untrusted sites.
• Check or Report: Use Trend Micro ScamCheck to verify suspicious links.

Common Scenarios

Here are some typical scam situations across all types of communication:

• Delivery Scams: You get a message about a package issue leading to a phishing site.
• Impersonation Scams: Someone pretending to be a government official demands payment. A friend’s hacked account asks for financial help. A fake tech support call asks for remote access or payment.
• Charity Scams: Fake donation requests for disasters or tragedies.
• Romance Scams: An online relationship leads to a request for money due to an “emergency.”

Stay Safe with Trend Micro ScamCheck

For complete protection, let Trend Micro ScamCheck verify links, phone numbers, and messages. It helps you avoid scams without manually checking everything. Use Trend Micro Deepfake Scan/AI Video Scan to detect manipulated content and stay safe from deepfake scams. Stay secure and confident with Trend Micro ScamCheck’s scam detection tools.