Online Scam Glossary: Phishing, Smishing, Bank Impersonation, Dropshipping and More

Scams have their own vocabulary: phishing, smishing, spoofing, “pig butchering”… These words keep showing up in news stories, in messages from your bank and in conversations with investigators, and it is not always clear what they cover. This glossary explains them simply, with concrete examples and, when useful, a link to the guide that details the right reaction. It is not legal advice. The last part lists where to report in the US, UK, Canada, EU and France.

Scams by message and by phone

Phishing

A message (e-mail, text, social network) imitating a known organisation (bank, tax office, health insurer, carrier) to make you click on a fake site and enter your logins, card number or a code received by text. The fake site looks like the real one, but the address is different. See how to check a suspicious e-mail or number.

Smishing

Phishing by text message. A classic: a fake delivery notice asks for a few euros of “shipping fees” through a link. See what to do about fake delivery texts. In France you can forward these texts to 33700.

Vishing

Phishing by phone (“voice phishing”): a fake adviser, fake tax agent or fake technician pressures you on the line.

Quishing

Phishing by QR code: a code stuck on a terminal, a fake letter or an e-mail sends you to a fake site. Don't scan a QR code if you don't know where it comes from.

Spoofing

Falsifying what is displayed: the calling number, or the sender's name on an e-mail or text. Your bank's number can show on your phone even though the call comes from elsewhere. The display therefore proves nothing: hang up and call back through a channel you know.

Bank impersonation scam

A fake bank agent calls to “secure” your account and makes you approve operations in your app or read out codes. See our dedicated guide.

Missed-call scam (“wangiri”, ping call)

A number, often foreign or premium-rate, rings once so that you call back. Calling back can be billed at a very high rate. Don't call back an unknown number.

Premium-rate number

A number (in France often 08 9x) whose call costs more than the normal rate. The surcharge is capped by regulation, but the bill can still be a surprise. A serious company should not push you to call a premium-rate number to “win” or “collect” something.

Telemarketing

Unsolicited sales calls. In France they are restricted: mobile numbers (06/07) can no longer be used for it, and ranges of landline numbers are reserved for such calls. You can register for free on Bloctel. See the e-mail and phone number checker.

Scams when buying and selling

Fake online shop

A store set up in a few hours, with real products photographed elsewhere, very low prices and made-up reviews. It collects payments, then disappears. See how to tell if a website is a scam.

Dropshipping

A selling model where the seller keeps no stock: they buy the product from a supplier (often far away) after you order. Legal in itself, but used by shops that inflate prices and deliver very late or never. See how to spot a dropshipping store.

Fake reviews

Customer reviews fabricated or bought to inflate a rating. Clues: perfect ratings in bursts, repeated wording, empty profiles. See the warning signs.

Deposit scam / off-platform payment

A seller or “landlord” asks for a deposit or a payment by bank transfer, money order or prepaid card outside the platform, which is the only thing that protects you. Common in rental listings and ticket sales. See holiday rental scams.

Ticket scam

Resale of seats that don't exist, were already used or sold twice. See our guide.

Counterfeit

A product imitating a brand without permission. A very low price, mistakes on the packaging and a seller with no history are clues.

Chargeback

A procedure by which your bank can reverse a disputed card payment in some cases (non-delivery, fraud). Keep your evidence and contact your bank quickly.

Right of withdrawal

The right to cancel a distance purchase from a business, in principle within 14 days in the EU, with exceptions. It does not exist between private individuals. See withdrawal rights and refunds.

Financial and administrative scams

Investment scam

A fake platform (crypto, forex, “automated trading”) showing invented gains and then blocking withdrawals. See the red flags.

Pig butchering

A long scam: the fraudster builds trust, often romantic, then pushes you to invest bigger and bigger sums on a fake platform before making everything vanish.

Romance scam

A fake online relationship that ends in a request for money (“emergency”, travel, customs fees).

Ponzi scheme

A system in which the “returns” of early investors are paid with the money of later ones. It collapses when new money stops coming in.

Identity theft

Use of your personal information (civil status, ID, bank details) to act in your name: taking out a loan, opening an account, signing up for a subscription.

AMF blacklist

A public list from France's financial markets regulator naming sites that are not authorised to offer certain investments in France. Being on it is a strong warning sign; not being on it guarantees nothing.

CEO fraud / fake transfer order

A scam aimed mostly at companies: a fake executive or supplier asks for an urgent transfer or a change of bank details.

Terms you will hear in the US, UK and Canada

Gift card scam

A fake tax agent, “tech support” or police officer demands payment in gift cards. No government agency or serious company does that, ever.

Overpayment (fake check) scam

A fake buyer sends a check for more than the price and asks you to refund the difference. The check bounces days later, after your money has gone. Common when selling second-hand items.

Tech support scam

An alarming pop-up or phone call claims your computer is infected and gets you to pay or install remote-access software.

Grandparent or family emergency scam

A caller or message pretends to be a grandchild or relative in trouble and asks for money immediately. Hang up and call the person on a number you already have.

Zelle, Venmo, Cash App and “authorized push payment” fraud

Instant payments between individuals are very hard to reverse. A scammer persuades you to send the money yourself, for instance to “secure your account” or to “reserve” an item. In the UK, banks have rules to reimburse many victims of this kind of fraud, within limits; in the US, protection is more limited. Tell your bank immediately.

One-ring call

A number that looks American but belongs to a Caribbean country (for example area codes 876, 809, 284) rings once so that you call back at a very high rate. Don't call back.

Section 75 (UK), Fair Credit Billing Act (US)

Consumer-credit rules that can help you dispute a credit-card purchase: in the UK the card company can be jointly liable for purchases between £100 and £30,000; in the US you can dispute billing errors and unauthorized charges within 60 days of the statement. Neither has a general cooling-off right for online purchases like the EU 14 days; the UK has its own 14-day right under the Consumer Contracts Regulations.

Do Not Call lists

The National Do Not Call Registry (US), the National Do Not Call List (Canada) and the Telephone Preference Service (UK) stop legitimate telemarketers. Scammers ignore them, so a cold call that is “selling” something illegally is a warning sign in itself.

Where to report and get help

First, if you lost money or gave away logins: contact your bank right away to block, dispute or try to recall the payment. Then:

United States

ReportFraud.ftc.gov (Federal Trade Commission) for any scam; IC3 (FBI) for internet crime, especially if you lost money; IdentityTheft.gov if your identity was stolen; your state attorney general for consumer complaints; the CFPB for problems with banks and financial products; the SEC and FINRA BrokerCheck for investments. Forward scam texts to 7726 (SPAM). The Better Business Bureau runs a Scam Tracker.

United Kingdom

Report Fraud (reportfraud.police.uk, 0300 123 2040), which replaced Action Fraud, for fraud and cybercrime. Forward scam texts to 7726 and suspicious e-mails to report@phishing.gov.uk. Citizens Advice for consumer disputes; the FCA Warning List for investment firms; Companies House to look up a company.

Canada

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and your local police; the Competition Bureau for deceptive marketing; the National Do Not Call List for telemarketing. Forward scam texts to 7726.

European Union

The European Consumer Centres help when you bought from a trader in another EU country. See also the local pages in German, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese for national bodies.

France

SignalConso, 33700 (texts and calls), Pharos (illegal content), Signal Spam, cybermalveillance.gouv.fr and the police.

More details in what to do after an online scam.

Useful terms for checking and reacting

SIREN / SIRET

The SIREN is the 9-digit number of a French company; the SIRET (14 digits) identifies one of its sites. They can be checked free of charge in the official company directory. See how to check a company.

Legal notice

Information an online shop must display: who publishes it, address, registration number, contact. Its absence or inconsistency is a warning sign.

Domain name, RDAP, WHOIS

The domain name is a site's address (example.com). RDAP and WHOIS directories show, among other things, the creation date: a domain a few days old claiming to be a long-established brand is suspicious.

Typosquatting

A domain deliberately close to a real site (a changed letter, an added hyphen) to catch people who mistype or click too fast.

Two-factor authentication, 3-D Secure

An extra step to confirm a login or a payment (a code, an approval in the app). It protects you, but must never be approved at a stranger's request: approving “to cancel” an operation actually confirms it.

Social engineering

The set of techniques that manipulate people rather than machines: urgency, authority, fear, flattery.

Reporting: SignalConso, 33700, Pharos, Signal Spam

In France, SignalConso lets you report a business; 33700 receives unwanted texts and calls; Pharos receives illegal content and sites; Signal Spam handles spam e-mails. If you lost money, contact your bank, file a report with the police and see cybermalveillance.gouv.fr. See what to do after an online scam.