Social Engineering Library
Browse social-engineering tactics by situation, claimed identity, channel and requested action.
This library begins with the situation a reader can observe: who made contact, what identity they claimed, which channel they used and what action they requested. The same attack can belong to more than one section.
Banking and payments
Common stories include a blocked transaction, a threatened account closure, a “safe account,” a refund or a request to read back a one-time code. The reliable check is an independent contact route: the official app, the number printed on the card or a known statement.
- Fraud-department impersonation
- One-time passcode theft
- Payment-app and wire-transfer pressure
- Fake customer-service search results
Jobs and paid tasks
Fake recruiters often begin with an unexpected text, a vague remote role or simple rating tasks. Requests to pay before being paid, deposit a check and return money, or submit identity documents before a real interview are central warning signs.
- Unexpected recruiter texts
- Task and optimization scams
- Fake equipment checks
- Reshipping and money-mule roles
Technical and account support
The pretext may start with a browser warning, repeated login prompts, a phone call or a sponsored search result. Legitimate support should not need a password, one-time code or unexplained remote-control session.
- Remote-access requests
- MFA fatigue and approval prompts
- Fake virus warnings
- Account-recovery impersonation
Marketplaces and delivery
Watch for a sudden move away from the platform, a payment link supplied by the other party, a request for a verification code or a courier story that changes the normal process.
- Buyer and seller impersonation
- Off-platform payments
- Delivery-fee and address-update texts
- QR-code payment redirects
Family and workplace authority
A familiar name or voice can be copied, and a legitimate account can be compromised. Verify unusual money, secrecy or access requests using a second route already known to both people.
- Family-emergency stories
- Executive and payroll requests
- Voice and video cloning
- Compromised-account messages
Government and law enforcement
Spoofed numbers, employee names, badges and case references can make a claim feel official. Threats of immediate arrest, demands for secrecy, or instructions to move money are reasons to end contact and locate the agency independently.
- Police and court impersonation
- Tax and benefits stories
- Regulator and fraud-investigator impersonation
- Recovery and refund scams