# 👁️ Types of scam that we see often There are many different types of scams, and particularly some that work well against furries, and others that don't. As such, we've curated a list of scams that we've seen targeting furries the most lately, and how they are specific to the fandom. > [!danger] > However, this can never be a complete or exhaustive list. As your parents warned you, don't believe everything to see on the internet (or phone, or letter, or SMS, or…). ## 🎨 Art Scam Art scams can work in various ways in the world of furry. The most common is scammers reaching out to prospective "clients" (marks) via DMs, whom they found in group chats. They will normally say how cool or interesting your fursona is, and ask if you have a ref sheet because they'd love to draw them. For a price, of course🫰 And you may get _some_ art out of it, but the price may be absurdly high, quality very low, with a high chance of it being stolen or AI generated, or traced from another artwork - or even a combination: traced from an AI generated image. Essentially, you will not get what you paid for - either in quality, in production method, or value for money. These scammers are especially dangerous to furries who are new to the fandom and less experienced at commissioning art, so are less likely to see any problems. ## 🐷 Pig butchering scam "Pig butchering" in the name of this scam refers to how the scammer will "fatten up" their mark, before butchering them. Over the course of weeks or months, they will seek to build a connection to the target. This could be romantic or platonic. At some point, they may mention how they've found this cool crypto investment site you should try, or they know a great way to make some cash. They likely won't ask for any money directly, but direct you to apps or websites which _appear_ genuine, but are really just tools and fronts of the scammers. Once you've "invested" enough and then try to withdraw your funds, you find you can't. The website locks you out, or there's suddenly a huge tax bill to pay. Your new friend or lover doesn't know what's going on, its such a surprise to them as look - they've gotten loads of money! Maybe if you just try this one thing, oh but it'll cost you more… And so the pig is butchered. We have known _furries to lose tens of thousands of US dollars_ to pig butchering scams, from people who seem to be real furries. Targets can be tech literate, they can be financially literate, and not just those we normally think of as being vulnerable. Here are a couple of videos about these scams, one short, and one long.   ## 🎣 Sugar Baby Scam A sugar baby scam is an online scam where a person pretends to be a wealthy individual (a "sugar daddy" or "sugar mama") who will provide financial support to a "sugar baby" in exchange for companionship or other favours. In reality, the goal is to trick the victim into sending payments or sharing sensitive information under the guise of fees, deposits, or other false pretences, without any intention of actually providing financial support. ## Impersonation Scam An impersonation scam occurs when someone pretends to be another person—often a trusted contact, company representative, or authority figure—to deceive victims. Common scenarios include scammers posing as IRS agents, tech support representatives, or close friends in financial trouble. The fraudulent party leverages the trust that targets have in the person or organization they are impersonating to obtain money or sensitive data. ## Advance Payment Scam An advance payment scam, also known as an advance-fee scam,[^1] is a type of fraud where the victim is persuaded to pay a sum of money upfront in anticipation of receiving a larger amount down the line, such as a large sum of money, goods, services, or jobs. The core mechanism involves a scammer promising a significant reward but requiring a payment first to cover "costs" like taxes, processing fees, or deposits. Common examples include notifications of lottery winnings, inheritances, or lucrative job offers that require an upfront payment before the funds or position can be released. Scammers might also pose as sellers of goods (e.g. art, badges/pins, fursuits) or providers of services (e.g. tickets to events, room slots at cons), demanding payment before delivery, only to disappear once the money is received. The key characteristic is the demand for payment _before_ the promised benefit is delivered, or at least delivered in full. Once the victim pays the requested fee (or an agreed portion of it), the scammer typically ceases contact, and the promised reward never materialises. The initial payment is lost, and the victim receives nothing in return - and if that was meant to be a hotel room at a con or an event ticket, that could be a very expensive loss to recover from. These scams often use urgency, secrecy, and multiple fake alternative accounts to pressure the victim into making a quick decision without proper verification. ## Overpayment/Refund Scam This one is of particular danger to artists and others who produce things, sell things, or provide services to other furries. A scammer, pretending to be a customer or client, will deliberately "overpay" for a product or service with a fraudulent payment method (e.g. stolen credit card). They then contact you, apologising for the "mistake," and ask you to refund the "excess" amount. Once you send the refund (which is legitimate money from your account), the original fraudulent payment bounces, leaving you out of pocket for the refunded amount and possibly the goods/services. Always take your time and don't give in to any false sense of urgency that someone might be trying to create. If someone is quite pushy and everything has to be done immediately, it might because they're trying to prevent you from thinking about what is happening too much. So take a moment to consider what a customer may be asking for, and whether there are other means of rectifying the situation without putting your own money in danger. A genuine customer who made a genuine mistake won't mind taking a bit of time to make sure things are done correctly, for their protection as much as yours. ## Sextortion Sextortion occurs when someone threatens to share private, intimate images or videos of you unless you comply with their demands. It as a specific form of blackmail where the leverage is sexually explicit material. Typically, the scammer obtains these images social engineering - that is, through convincing their target to send them over willingly, usually over messages. They might find their victims in group chats or on Barq, build a rapport, and then persuade you into sending explicit content to them. While less frequent, they could potentially use hacking or malware, but social engineering is the most common tactic. Once they have the images, they issue threats, often demanding money, sometimes large sums, usually under pressure with a tight deadline - urgency is something a lot of scammers rely on to to make their targets act before they have a chance to think things through fully. Their demands aren't limited to cash; they might also insist on receiving more images, videos, or other actions. The threat is clear: they will send the material to your friends, family, colleagues, or post it publicly online if you don't meet their conditions immediately. This criminal act isn't just about financial gain. The threat itself causes immense emotional distress, fear, and profound shame for the victim. Here is an article about Nigerian "BM [blackmail] Boys", sextortioning tens to hundreds of _**thousands of US dollars from people**_: [BM Boys: the Nigerian sextortion network hiding in plain sight on TikTok](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/11/sextortion-nigeria-bm-boys-tiktok?CMP=share_btn_url) [^1]: This type of fraud is often associated with the "419 scam" or "Nigerian Prince scam", named after the section of the Nigerian Criminal Code dealing with fraud. However, advance payment scams originate from and are carried out globally.