01 / Prevention
Check before committing
Compare claims with original sources and recognise warning signs before making a payment.
unmasked.info / Fraud & Scam Intelligence / Active investor protection
When trust puts money at risk, we ask for evidence.
Too many losses begin with claims no one examines in time: a supposed licence, a convincing website, a promise to recover lost funds. We turn those claims into questions that can be checked, before investors decide and when a loss needs to be investigated.
01 /Provider Due DiligenceWho is behind an offer?
02 /Business Conduct ReviewHow does a regulated firm act?
03 /Cyber & Digital ForensicsWhat can digital evidence establish?
04 /Individual Case ReviewWhat calls for a defined engagement?
Fraud & Scam Intelligence / Visual Insights
See patterns. Follow the evidence.
Explore methods, dated warnings and shared mechanisms. Each view leads into the relevant information or tool.
The pattern universe
Fake trading platform →Clone of an authorised firm →Fake fixed-term deposit →Boiler room / cold calling →Relationship-led crypto investment scam →Finfluencer promotion and affiliate conflict →Critical search query used as an affiliate funnel →Expert Advisor licence with an unproven track record →Trading coaching promoted through paid media authority →Fabricated token or crypto opportunity →Pump and dump →Ponzi scheme →Pyramid or recruitment scheme →Affinity fraud →Manipulative trading or signal group →Withdrawal fee or tax pretext →Recovery scam →Fake regulator, police or law firm →Celebrity or deepfake investment advert →Advance fee for investment proceeds →Banking and account phishing →Smishing / text-message phishing →Vishing / impersonation call →Quishing / malicious QR code →Account takeover →SIM swap / number takeover →Fake support and remote access →“Safe account” transfer →CEO fraud / business email compromise →Invoice or bank-detail redirection →Imitated executive voice or video →Romance scam →Fake job offer →Task scam →Money mule recruitment →Fake online store →Marketplace payment trick →Fake rental listing →Fake charity appeal →Prize or inheritance advance fee →Identity-document harvesting →Fake reviews and trust marks →Reshipping job scam →Crypto ATM payment demand →
Financial Fraud · dated I-SCAN warnings by calendar year
Show data table
| Year | Dated entries |
|---|---|
| 2005 | 2 |
| 2006 | 0 |
| 2007 | 0 |
| 2008 | 0 |
| 2009 | 1 |
| 2010 | 4 |
| 2011 | 19 |
| 2012 | 30 |
| 2013 | 43 |
| 2014 | 124 |
| 2015 | 230 |
| 2016 | 151 |
| 2017 | 190 |
| 2018 | 234 |
| 2019 | 1368 |
| 2020 | 431 |
| 2021 | 732 |
| 2022 | 540 |
| 2023 | 578 |
| 2024 | 602 |
| 2025 | 7860 |
| 2026* | 6202 |
Shared mechanisms · coverage of our library
01 / Fraud & Scam Intelligence
Know what to check. Find the right tool.
We examine the claims behind investment offers, websites and purported recovery services. The public toolkit helps you verify a provider, recognise a method, preserve evidence and choose a sensible next step.
01 / VerifyA provider or offerI‑SCAN · Entity Check · Investigation Trail02 / UnderstandA warning sign or methodKnowledge Base · Referral Decoder03 / RespondContact, loss or recovery claimDo’s & Don’ts · Recovery Claim Check04 / ReportA first-hand observationWhistleblower guidance · official channels
01 / What we stand for
Trust needs a basis you can verify.
A polished website, a familiar name or a claimed register entry can create a sense of safety. The useful question is whether the legal entity, authorisation, domain, contact route and payment destination actually fit together.
We help investors examine those connections early. When a loss has already occurred, a careful reconstruction matters more than a quick promise. This is especially true of services claiming they can recover lost funds.
02 / Context
Connect the evidence
Who offered what, through which website, under which name, and using which payment route?
03 / Representation
Take losses seriously
Preserve records, limit further harm and sharpen the questions for a qualified review.
02 / Method
From a signal to a question worth investigating.
An official warning matters. The absence of a search result is not reassurance. We keep each statement tied to its source and put the pieces into a traceable account.
01 / Identify
Who are we checking?
A brand, legal entity, domain and person making contact may all be different. Start by establishing their relationship.
02 / Verify
What can be established?
Registers and official notices sit alongside agreements, messages and technical clues. Each source supports a different kind of conclusion.
03 / Act
What follows?
The useful next step changes before payment, after suspicious contact and after a loss.
03 / Two areas of expertise
Regulatory questions often leave a digital trail.
A case may involve both the firm's permissions and conduct, and the technical origins of a website, message or account access.
Regulatory & business conduct
Authorisation, process and responsibility
We examine the firm's identity, the service offered and its documented conduct. For regulated firms, onboarding, contractual terms and the practical implementation of requirements may also warrant review. Qualified legal specialists handle individual legal questions.
Cybersecurity & digital forensics
Domains, access and evidence
Digital traces can reveal connections that a name search misses. Specialist expertise supports technical investigations and cybersecurity work.
Explore Proteo Defence ↗04 / Fraud & Scam Intelligence
From a signal to a question that can be checked.
Public tools provide orientation, not a verdict on a company or an individual case. For financial providers, begin with I‑SCAN and check the original register or notice. For deeper research, follow the relevant route through the toolkit.
Browse all toolkit modules →A sensible first route
Provider → source → conduct
Identify the contracting entity, compare its authorisation with the activity being offered, inspect the domain and payment instructions, then document what remains unresolved.
Open I‑SCAN overview →05 / When a case needs more
Information becomes an investigation.
For substantial losses or complex business conduct, an individual review may make sense. Its scope, sources and questions are agreed separately. Legal assessments and specialist IT or cyber forensic work involve appropriately qualified experts.
Explore professional services and methods →
A confidential whistleblower channel is planned. Until its safeguards are in place, this website does not accept sensitive reports. For matters within German financial supervision, the BaFin whistleblower office ↗ offers an official route.
Beware of recovery scams.
Independently verify anyone who approaches you after a loss promising recovery and asking for fees, credentials or remote access. Examine a recovery claim in the pre-check →
Community Intelligence
A scam pattern missing from our library?
If none of the behaviours described in the Fraud & Scam Pattern Library matches what you observed, use our form to suggest the pattern for editorial review and possible inclusion in the database.
Suggest a new pattern →