Glossary

Scams terms

35 scams terms in plain words, and the guides where they matter.

• Account services phone call An account services phone call is an unexpected call whose caller ID or recorded message claims to be about a problem with one of your accounts. It can be genuine, but many are scams that try to get your details or money.
• Bait and switch A bait and switch is a sales tactic in which a customer is attracted by the advertisement of a low-priced item but is then encouraged to buy a higher-priced one.
• Catfishing Catfishing is creating a fake online identity, usually with someone else's photos and a made-up story, to deceive a person into a relationship. It is often used to get money, gifts or personal information.
• CPN (credit privacy number) A CPN (credit privacy number) is a nine-digit number that sellers claim can replace your Social Security number to build a new credit file. The FTC says promises to create a new credit identity are a scam.
• Credit card chargeback A credit card chargeback is when your card issuer takes a charge back off your bill after you dispute it, for example because it was unauthorized, the amount was wrong, or you never got what you paid for.
• Dynata phone call A Dynata phone call is a call from Dynata, a market research company that runs telephone surveys. The company exists, but scammers also pose as survey firms, so don't share sensitive details.
• Facebook spam Facebook spam is unwanted or deceptive content sent through Facebook, such as junk messages, fake friend requests, comment links and posts from hacked accounts, usually meant to sell something, steal logins or scam you out of money.
• Fake taxi A fake taxi is a car posing as a licensed taxi or minicab, or an unlicensed driver offering rides, that has not been vetted or insured to carry passengers.
• Home title lock A home title lock is a paid monitoring service that says it protects you from home title fraud, but the FTC says it isn't a lock and isn't insurance: it can alert you after a deed is changed, not stop the change.
• No caller ID call A no caller ID call is a call where your phone shows no number or name for the caller. Apple calls calls from numbers not saved in your contacts "unknown callers" and lets you screen or silence them.
• No caller ID number A no caller ID number is a call that shows no number or name on your phone, usually labeled "No Caller ID", "Unknown" or "Private". The caller hid the number, or your carrier couldn't pass it on.
• PCH caller ID PCH caller ID is a name or number on your phone screen claiming to be Publishers Clearing House. Scammers use it to say you've won a prize, then ask you to pay a fee first. The real PCH never asks for one.
• PCH phone call A PCH phone call is a call, text or letter claiming you've won a Publishers Clearing House prize. Unexpected ones are scams: the caller wants you to pay fees or taxes to collect winnings that don't exist.
• Phone spoofing Phone spoofing is when a caller deliberately falsifies the information shown on your caller ID so the call looks like it comes from a different number, person or organization than it really does.
• Possible spam / arnaque Possible spam / arnaque is a warning label on a call or text that your phone or carrier thinks may be unwanted or a scam. "Arnaque" is French for scam. The label is a guess, not proof.
• Potential fraud call A potential fraud call is a call your carrier has labelled "Potential Fraud" because its analytics flag the number as a possible scam. It is a warning based on a risk score, not proof the call is fraud.
• Potential spam Potential spam is a warning your phone shows on an incoming call when it thinks the caller may be a spam or scam number. It is a guess based on reports, not proof the call is harmful.
• Potential spam call Potential spam call is the label your phone or carrier puts on an incoming call it suspects is an unwanted robocall or sales call. It's a guess, not proof: the call may be legitimate, and some scam calls carry no label at all.
• Private caller A private caller is someone whose phone number is hidden from your screen because they blocked it. The call shows as private or unknown, which is legal and doesn't by itself mean the call is a scam.
• Restricted call A restricted call is a phone call where the caller has blocked their number from showing on your screen, so it appears as Restricted, Private, Blocked or Unknown instead of a number.
• Restricted phone call A restricted phone call is a call where the caller has hidden their phone number, so your screen shows a label such as "restricted", "private" or "unknown" instead of a number.
• Scam likely call Scam likely call is a call marked with a caller ID warning that it may be fraud. The label comes from call labeling, a service some phone companies offer, and it's based on a guess, not a confirmed scam.
• Smishing Smishing is phishing by text message: a scammer sends an SMS pretending to be a bank, delivery company or agency and tries to get you to click a link or share personal details.
• Smishing and phishing Smishing is phishing sent by text message (SMS), and phishing is the wider scam where someone pretends to be a trusted company or person to trick you into giving up information or clicking a bad link.
• Spam call A spam call is an unwanted, unsolicited phone call, usually automated or mass-dialed, that tries to sell you something or trick you into handing over money or personal details.
• Spam caller A spam caller is a person or automated system that phones you with unwanted calls, such as sales pitches, robocalls or scams, usually without your permission and often from a number they've disguised.
• Spam number A spam number is a phone number used to make unwanted calls or texts, such as robocalls, telemarketing or scams. Scammers often fake the caller ID, so the number you see may not be the real one.
• Spam risk Spam risk is a label your phone carrier or a call-blocking app puts on an incoming call when it suspects the call is unwanted or fraudulent, based on call patterns or complaints.
• Spoofed call A spoofed call is a phone call where the caller deliberately changes the number or name that shows on your screen, so it looks like it comes from someone you trust, such as a bank, a government agency or a neighbor.
• Suspected spam Suspected spam is a warning label your phone or email app puts on a call or message it thinks is unwanted or fraudulent. It is a guess, not proof, so you decide what to do next.
• Unknown caller An unknown caller is a call where your phone can't show who is calling: the number is hidden, blocked or not in your contacts. "No caller ID" and "unknown" usually mean the caller chose to hide their number, or the network couldn't pass it on.
• Unknown caller ID Unknown caller ID is what your phone shows when the incoming call has no number or name attached, because the caller hid it or because the network could not pass it along.
• Unknown number An unknown number is a call from a number you don't have saved, or one that shows up with no number at all. The caller may be a real person, a business, an automated call or a scammer.
• Vishing Vishing, short for voice phishing, is a scam where someone phones or leaves a voice message pretending to be a bank, company or agency to trick you into giving up money, codes or personal details.
• Whaling (whale phishing) Whaling is a phishing attack aimed at senior executives or other high-ranking people, using a message that looks like it comes from a trusted source to steal information or get money moved.

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