Scams are an unfortunate part of life from spam calls to bank heists to impersonating famous figures. Learn more about some of the most common scams as well as big shockers with these facts. Fraud comes in all shapes and sizes. It can be hard to detect and harder to catch, so when in doubt, report activity that seems like a potential scam.
World’s Biggest Scams Facts
1. FTX was a crypto conspiracy. (Source)
Sam Bankman-Fried was a tech guru who committed fraud to the tune of billions of dollars. After raising money for his cryptocurrency, FTX, he invested the money in beach homes and other luxuries instead of developing the company he described to investors. He was charged with fraud, money-laundering, and conspiracy in one of the biggest cases of financial fraud of the century.
2. A Duke impersonation was one of history’s greatest scams. (Source)
In the 15th century a naive young British was convinced to take on the identity of Richard, Duke of York to depose Richard III as the heir apparent to the throne. Eventually, the jig was up but not before the pretender raised an army 6,000 strong.
3. Alexandria, Virginia, is home to highest number of spam calls in the U.S. (Source)
Over 3,000 spam call complaints from Alexandria were made to the Federal Communications Commission between 2014 and 2024.
4. Check cooking is 2024’s biggest scam. (Source)
The AARP warns that check cooking is one of the year’s most widespread scams. When scammers “cook” a check, it means they take a picture of it and use software to digitally alter and reproduce it.
