Are you smarter than a scammer? Play this game.

Take this quiz to find out if you can spot what’s real and what’s fake

Editor's Note

A previous version of this quiz included a question that showed a Facebook page created to impersonate a government official. The fake page included an image of a real person; that question has been removed.

No matter how cautious and untrusting you are, you could still end up falling for a scam. One reason is that scammers change their tactics constantly. While you’re looking out for last year’s Social Security scams, they’ve already moved on to fake fundraising off a recent disaster.

In 2022, 2.4 million Americans reported to the Federal Trade Commission that they were victims of a scam, losing nearly $8.8 billion, a 30 percent increase from 2021. Most reported scam attempts come via email, followed by phone calls and text messages, and the most popular types of scams are people impersonating businesses or government agencies.

Learn more about how to keep yourself safe by testing your instincts below and guessing whether each instance is a scam, using real-life examples. We’ll also give some helpful advice on how to keep yourself and loved ones safe.

Question 1 of 7
A text message from an unknown hotmail email that reads: USPS - The package has arrived at the warehouse and cannot be delivered due to incomplete address information. Please confirm your address in the link.
Question 2 of 7
A text from an unknown number that reads "Anna, let's have a barbecue tomorrow"
Question 3 of 7
An email from <Chase@fraudalert.chase.com>
Question 4 of 7
An email from the Geek Squad Academy with information about an "Anti-Virus plan"
Question 5 of 7

Question 6 of 7
A text from a person offering to pay up front using Zelle
Question 7 of 7
A screenshot from the website facebookuserprivacysettlement.com/#submit-claim

You need to answer every question to see your result. You’re missing questions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7.

About this story

Design and art direction by Elena Lacey. Edited by Yun-Hee Kim, Karly Domb Sadof and Junne Alcantara. Copy editing by Emily Morman.