Frequently Asked Questions
What does ScamWham do?
ScamWham presents you with a series of questions about a communication you just received, which can be a text, email, social media message, or phone call.
Based on your answers, the software rates the scam risk level of the communication, and lights up the associated "light" at the top of the page to show you the risk. It also gives you advice on what action to take.
What do the different "lights" mean at the top of the page?
Blue (unknown): No risk level has been assigned yet. Keep answering questions.
Green (low): Based on how you answered the questions, the communication does not show signs of the most common scams. This is not a 100% guarantee that the communication is safe, though.
Yellow (medium): It is very possible that the communication is a scam. Use great caution and take the advice that the site gives you.
Red (high): It is extremely likely that the communication is a scam. Carefully follow the advice the site gives you.
Is ScamWham free?
Yes, it's completely free.
Do I have to log in or create an account?
No, and no. There is no log in function. There is no way to create an account. ScamWham is completely anonymous. Anybody can start using it immediately.
What personal information does the site collect?
The site does not collect any personally-identifiable information. It does not store any cookies. See the Privacy Policy.
Where can I get the app?
You already have it. Wasn't that easy? ScamWham is a web app. You run it by going to scamwham.org from any browser. There's nothing to download and nothing to update. You can save this page to your Home screen and you have the app.
I want to tell someone about this app. What do I tell them?
Have them point their browser to scamwham.org and they have it.
Who created ScamWham?
I created ScamWham. My name is Neil, and I was born in, and live in, the U.S.A.
Why did you create ScamWham?
I'm appalled at the amount of money that people lose to scammers throughout the world. I'm also appalled by the number of people who choose to devote their time and effort to the evil act of gleefully, knowingly, and maliciously stealing from innocent people.
So, I wanted to do something about it. I wanted to give people a simple tool that helps good people protect themselves from those who badly want to harm them financially.
How does ScamWham work? Does it use AI?
When you use ScamWham, you are not communicating with an AI tool. You are interacting with proprietary software that has been painstakingly written to identify many of the common scams, as well as give individualized advice designed to help people stay safe.
How effective is ScamWham at protecting people from scams?
If a person carefully and thoughtfully reads all the prompts, and answers all the questions to the best of their ability, they are likely to be warned about many of the most common scams, and they are likely to be given sound advice about what to do about it.
Scammers are constantly working to devise cunning and vile new ways of defrauding people by deceiving and tricking them. As a result, no tool or advice can possibly be 100% effective against their wicked work.
How can I help?
Spread the word about it every way you can. ScamWham can't protect people if they don't know about it.
I have a question, comment, or suggestion. How do I contact you?
Thank you! I welcome your help to make ScamWham more and more effective at helping innocent people keep their money.
You may contact me here.
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Thank you for using ScamWham,
Neil
