Five Brains Digital

The Scam Sheet

What is going around right now

A free newsletter about the scams actually in circulation — how each one works, the tells that give it away, and what to do if it has already happened.

It is written for the people being targeted and for the families who worry about them, not for security professionals. Each issue takes one scam, or two related ones, and covers it properly: the mechanics, the red flags, and a recovery walkthrough by payment method — wire, card, gift card, crypto, payment app — plus where to report it.

Every number in it comes from the FTC, the FBI's IC3, AARP, the Better Business Bureau or a state attorney general, and it is named. Nothing is estimated. There are no affiliate links and no sponsored content.

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Every issue so far

Six issues, all free, all readable without an account. Each one takes a scam that is actively running right now and covers it properly: how it works, the tells that give it away, and a recovery walkthrough by payment method if it has already happened.

Issue 6 — The Text That Says You Owe $12.51

26 August 2026 · 8 min

Fake toll bills and fake delivery notices, and how they turned an ordinary phone into the scammer’s front door.

Issue 5 — The Voice on the Phone

19 August 2026 · 6 min

How three seconds of someone’s recorded voice becomes the most convincing scam call a family will ever get.

Issue 4 — The Job That Pays You to “Like” Videos

18 August 2026 · 7 min

The task scam, and how it became the fastest-growing con in the country.

Issue 3 — The One-Two Punch

12 August 2026 · 6 min

Fake social-media shopping ads, and the “recovery agents” who come for the same people afterwards. A connected pair, because being caught once puts you on a list.

Issue 2 — Romance and “Friendship” Scams

6 August 2026 · 6 min

The costliest con is not a phone call. It is a relationship, built slowly, where money is never mentioned early.

Issue 1 — Imposter Scams

3 August 2026 · 4 min

Why “it’s your bank calling” is the most dangerous sentence anyone will hear this year.

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The Scam Sheet reports publicly documented fraud patterns and official guidance. It is general information, not legal or financial advice, and it cannot tell you whether a particular message you received is fraudulent. If you believe you have been targeted, report it at reportfraud.ftc.gov or ic3.gov.