In 2025, Americans lost $20.9 billion to online scams and cyber fraud. That number comes directly from the FBI. It went up 26% from the year before. And most victims never even reported what happened to them — out of embarrassment, or because they simply did not know where to turn.
ScamRead exists because that should not be happening.
We are a small, independent platform built for ordinary Americans — people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s who use the internet every day but did not grow up with a cybersecurity degree. People who received a suspicious email and just wanted a straight answer. People who got a scary popup on their screen and did not know whether to panic. People who almost took a job that turned out to be a scam, or who know someone who did.
We write about real scams, in plain English, with no technical jargon. Every article on this site is based on real victim reports from sources like the BBB Scam Tracker, the FTC, and the FBI — not made-up examples. When we say something is a red flag, we explain exactly why, so you can recognise it yourself next time without needing to look it up.
What we offer
Our blog covers every major category of online scam targeting Americans today — email scams, tech support fraud, fake job offers, romance scams, government impersonation, investment fraud, and online shopping scams. New articles are published regularly, based on what is being reported right now.
We are also building a suite of free tools — a scam email checker, a phone number lookup, and a website trust checker — so you can verify anything suspicious in seconds, without needing any technical knowledge. These tools are coming soon and will always have a free version.
Who is behind ScamRead
ScamRead is run by cryptix, an independent researcher and content creator with a background in cybersecurity and a genuine belief that awareness is the most powerful protection ordinary people have against fraud.
We are not affiliated with any government agency, bank, or security company. We do not sell your data. We do not have advertisers telling us what to write. Our only interest is helping you stay safe online.
If you received something suspicious and you are not sure whether it is a scam, use the Report a Scam page and we will do our best to help.