Reddit Scam Pattern
Spoofed and manipulative phone contact confirming identity
26 reports · first seen 1 May 2026 · last seen 2 May 2026
Callers use spoofed numbers — including area codes tied to a victim's past addresses or a known contact's genuine number — to increase answer rates and lower suspicion. Tactics include wrong-name openers to confirm the target's real identity before pivoting to a scam pitch.
How the scam works
Caller ID spoofing using familiar or locally recognisable numbers, combined with social-engineering openers to verify target identity.
Member posts on Reddit (26)
- [USA] Police scam or not?
A number identified as associated with known scammer infrastructure texted the victim posing as a detective threatening 31 weekends in jail.
reddit · 2 May 2026 · impersonation
- [US] They got $200 from my grandpa, recieved it in a moneygram ATM in Mexico
Scammer called a grandfather claiming to hold his granddaughter hostage, extracting $200 via MoneyGram ATM to Mexico.
reddit · 1 May 2026 · impersonation
- [US] help, I think I made a mistake
Victim answered a call from an AI voice mimicking a friend, said 'yes' in response to 'can you hear me', then heard a clearly automated pitch.
reddit · 1 May 2026 · phone_scam
- I am worried my immigrant boyfriend is being targeted by a debt scam and he won’t let me help.
Immigrant man received consecutive calls claiming debts of $2,000 in medical bills and several hundred dollars to a past landlord within two days.
reddit · 1 May 2026 · phone_scam
- Clowning Around with a Scammer
A user shares a brief scam baiting exchange where a scammer used a wrong-number opener to initiate contact.
reddit · 25 Apr 2026 · informational
- How should I respond to this obvious scam?
A user received an obvious SMS scam and is seeking advice on how to scam bait the operator.
reddit · 25 Apr 2026 · informational
- [US] Unknown number texts me asking about dead friend. Is this a scam?
A US resident received an unsolicited text from an unknown number referencing a deceased friend by name, raising concerns about a potential follow-on scam.
reddit · 26 Apr 2026 · phone_scam
- I keep getting scam call! I need to make them stop!!!
A victim has received AI-generated loan scam voicemails almost daily for nearly a year, cycling through new phone numbers to evade blocks.
reddit · 25 Apr 2026 · phone_scam
- This sub helped me explain that a VM my son received about his taxes was a scam.
A parent used this subreddit to identify a tax consulting firm voicemail scam threatening their son with fines and jail, resulting in the scam being reported and blocked.
reddit · 25 Apr 2026 · informational
- Quickbooks Fraud and Account Takeover
A scammer impersonating QuickBooks support used knowledge of the victim's real transactions to gain trust, then captured MFA codes to take over the account.
reddit · 25 Apr 2026 · impersonation
- [Europe] Two Factor codes that I didn’t request, both from the US.
A European resident received two unsolicited 2FA text messages from US phone numbers within two minutes, despite no activity on any personal accounts.
reddit · 26 Apr 2026 · other
- [US] i lost 15k last year to a scam. how do i get over it?
A 22-year-old lost their entire $15,000 savings after a scammer impersonated their bank and instructed them to transfer funds to a fraudulent account.
reddit · 26 Apr 2026 · impersonation
- Savings account opened in my name. Bank sent an email and a letter thanking me for joining. [US]
A victim discovered a savings account had been opened in their name at a bank they had no prior relationship with, and escalated to the fraud department.
reddit · 26 Apr 2026 · other
- (US) Weirded out by scam msg when calling my doctor.
A person calling their doctor's office encountered an automated carrier warning labelling the number as a likely scam, despite having called it many times before.
reddit · 26 Apr 2026 · informational
- Unknown number texted me my name
An unknown out-of-state number sent a victim their full name then stopped typing, likely testing whether the number is active for future scam contact.
reddit · 26 Apr 2026 · other
- [IND] Saved myself from a New type of E-commerce Scam. Here is what happened
Callers armed with shopping order data told victims their order was cancelled and they must repay to reinstate it, exploiting e-commerce data leaks.
reddit · 27 Apr 2026 · phone_scam
- Accidentally fell for the "yes" scam
Victim answered an unclear call and said 'yes' when asked if they were still there, recognising afterwards it may have been a voice-capture scam.
reddit · 28 Apr 2026 · phone_scam
- Received a text asking me “is this John?” Followed up with accusing me of texting their girlfriend
Victim received texts falsely accusing them of contacting someone's girlfriend, followed by the sender revealing the victim's approximate home address.
reddit · 28 Apr 2026 · other
- Hotel stay with my info
Victim received a hotel receipt confirming someone checked in under their name and old address using a different credit card.
reddit · 28 Apr 2026 · other
- Guess she’s not my friend anymore
Victim received an unexpected text from an unknown number appearing to claim a personal connection, with no further detail available in the post.
reddit · 27 Apr 2026 · sms_scam
- US - CCG / EZ Money Called My Managers Personal Cell Phone
A fake debt collector called the victim's manager's personal phone to claim a pending civil lawsuit involving the victim, leveraging workplace embarrassment as pressure.
reddit · 27 Apr 2026 · impersonation
- I've been receiving calls from the same home phone number for MONTHS.
Victim has received persistent automated calls for months from a number traced to a residential address in Texas, with voicemails left despite no voicemail being configured.
reddit · 28 Apr 2026 · phone_scam
- [US] "FCC" Called me SS compromised?
Callers impersonating the FCC told a US victim their phone number was linked to crypto scams, then recited their name, address, and Social Security number.
reddit · 27 Apr 2026 · impersonation
- [US] Calls from old area codes
Victim is receiving approximately two calls per hour from spoofed area codes associated with their former residences, with no voicemails left.
reddit · 28 Apr 2026 · phone_scam
- Text From Old Coworker
Victim received a text from what appeared to be a former coworker's genuine number, raising suspicion about whether the contact had been compromised.
reddit · 29 Apr 2026 · phone_scam
- (AUS) Received a call from a random number, asked if my name was Alex, then my actual name
Caller asked for a wrong name then the victim's real name to confirm identity before claiming to remove their number from a system.
reddit · 1 May 2026 · phone_scam