September 2026
Scamwise Trends
Who scammers impersonated, what's spreading, and what to watch for.
Rankings reflect confirmed scam reports to Scamwise, not total scam volume in the wild.
Top Impersonated Brands
The trusted names scammers hide behind
1.Apple
Fake iCloud storage alerts and AppleCare support calls are the top Apple scams right now.
2.PayPal
Fake invoices and unauthorized-charge alerts that end in a call to a scam “support” line.
3.Amazon
Order, refund, and account-hold lures — plus fake Prime renewal invoices with a number to call.
4.USPS
Package “redelivery” fee texts that lead to card-harvesting lookalike sites.
5.Microsoft
Fake Defender/365 renewal invoices and browser-locking security pop-ups with a “support” number.
6.McAfee
The auto-renewal refund scam — a fake invoice, a refund call, and a remote-access trap.
7.Roblox
Free-Robux generators and chat phishing built specifically to fool kids.
8.Costco
Membership renewal and member-reward lures that end at a fake payment page.
9.Cash App
Fake “business payment” holds and security alerts around money that’s almost yours.
10.Best Buy / Geek Squad
The Geek Squad renewal-invoice phone scam — call to cancel, and the refund is the trap.
More commonly impersonated brands: Coinbase, Comcast / Xfinity, DMV, EZ Pass & Toll, FedEx, Norton LifeLock, Poshmark, Venmo, Wells Fargo, Zelle
Emerging trends
What's circulating now
Online Scam Storefronts Are the #1 Thing People Check
Fake online storefronts are the single largest category in Scamwise data and continue to accelerate in growth. AI has industrialized this motion — scam storefronts can now be generated by the hundreds per day.
Scammers Use Roblox to Target Kids
Roblox scam submissions have skyrocketed, making it the first kids' platform to reach our top 10. These scams are engineered specifically for how children trust.
Pig-Butchering's Share Has Doubled
Romance scams increasingly turn into pig-butchering investment fraud. It starts with a friendly "wrong number" text and ends at a fake trading platform showing gains that can never be withdrawn.
Task Scams Turn a Job Offer Into a Deposit
An unsolicited text from a "recruiter" offers easy remote work — liking videos, rating hotels, boosting apps. The early tasks actually pay. Then, to withdraw your earnings, you must first deposit your own money.
The Fake Party Invitation That Spreads to Your Contacts
A fake party invite can steal your email password. It can even look like it's from a real friend, then spread itself to your contacts.
One-Ring “Wangiri” Calls Are Surging
An unfamiliar number rings once and stops — return the call and you're routed to a premium-rate international line. Wangiri-style traffic nearly doubled in the first quarter of 2026.
Not sure if it's a scam? Check with Scamwise.
Upload a suspicious website, email, text, or even physical piece of mail. Scamwise will analyze it and give you a trusted answer, fast.

As seen on
Not sure if it's a scam?
Check with Scamwise.
Upload a suspicious website, email, text, or even physical piece of mail. Scamwise will analyze it and give you a trusted answer, fast.
As seen on
