Scam texts, fake shops, “Hi Mum” messages, romance and job scams. Ten quick questions, two answers each — one is right, one is what the scammer wants. Free, no sign-up.
Everyday scams are built on the same few tricks: a familiar sender, an emotional story, a small payment or a link, and a reason to hurry. The questions are drawn from nine of our quizzes:
Ask three questions. Did I expect this? What exactly does it want me to do? Can I check it through a channel I already know? If the message wants money, a code or your login and you didn’t start the conversation, stop and verify. Tech support scams alone cost people about $2.13 billion in 2025, according to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), and romance scams about $929 million.
Step-by-step guides to the scams in this collection: In Painted Sky, a free game, you live one life and meet these scams as they happen — then replay it with a lens that shows what was fake.
Text-message and phishing scams are the most widespread, because they are cheap to send in bulk. Investment and romance scams cause some of the largest individual losses.
Be suspicious of texts that ask you to tap a link, pay a small fee, call a number or act within hours. Check in the company’s own app, or call a number you already have.
Call your bank on the number on your card right away, change passwords you may have shared, and report it to your national fraud reporting service. Acting fast improves the chance of stopping a payment.
Yes. Try our scam quiz for seniors too: it focuses on fake bank calls, grandchild emergencies and fake officials.
No. Everything is free and runs in your browser; scores stay on your device.