How scams work, mapped from first contact to the money.
The Scam Classification & Mapping System (SC&MS) names the techniques behind a scam, stage by stage, so every defender can describe it in the same terms.
Worked example · ABC7, October 2025
A category names the kind of scam. SC&MS maps how it happened.
A Bay Area widower replied to a stranger's text addressed to someone else.
Categories that fit
- Romance scam
- Investment scam
- Crypto fraud
Mapped with SC&MS
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A, Access
A text addressed to someone else.
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B, Bait
A reply, then romance, then an investment pitch.
Mistaken identity B014, then Romantic interest B015, then Investment opportunity B010
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C, Coercion
A demand to keep the relationship secret.
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D, Deception
Phantom gains and purported earnings proof.
Fake trading platform D006, Fabricated earnings proof D014.002
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E, Exploiting Trust
Three months of romance first.
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F, Financial Gain
$1 million invested and lost.
Source: ABC7, October 2025. Mapping the fake trading platform and the earnings proof takes interpretation, because the article doesn't say exactly what was shown.
Why SC&MS?
People reported losing $15.9 billion to fraud in 2025, according to the FTC, up from more than $12 billion the year before. Investment and imposter scams alone accounted for more than $11 billion. And the FTC itself says reported losses are just a fraction of what people actually lose.
Defenders and the institutions they work in still describe scam activity using inconsistent terms. In its 2025 national strategy, the Aspen Institute's fraud task force noted that many participants want better standardization of fraud and scam data and typologies, and said this "may be a critical structural component" of improving government's ability to use scam-related data over time.
SC&MS is built to give defenders that shared standard. SC&MS draws on nearly two decades of scam research by Satnam Singh Narang.
The ABCs of SC&MS
156 techniques and subtechniques across a six-stage lifecycle, from first contact to financial extraction.
Access
Vectors used to initiate first contact with a potential victim
Explore stageBait
Lures, offers, and alerts used to entice a victim's engagement
Explore stageCoercion
Pressure and control tactics used to compel action or maintain compliance
Explore stageDeception
Fabricated or manipulated artifacts used to mislead victims and make the scam believable
Explore stageExploiting Trust
Borrowed or cultivated trust used to lower a victim's skepticism
Explore stageFinancial Gain
Methods used to extract money, assets, or other value from victims
Explore stageWho should use SC&MS?
From security teams to law enforcement, SC&MS gives defenders a common language for classifying scams.
Fraud teams
Tag scam cases with technique IDs, so different analysts can record the same scam the same way.
Trust & safety
Describe what a scam account did, stage by stage, not just which policy it broke.
Security & threat intelligence
Map which scam techniques your controls catch, and share tradecraft with partners using stable IDs both sides can look up.
Researchers
Code cases against published technique descriptions, so findings can compare across studies.
Law enforcement
Describe a scam operation's methods the same way across jurisdictions.
Education & awareness
Teach the stages people can learn to spot, from first contact to the money.
Get updates
Occasional SC&MS updates, release notes, and new research.