The case files on this site dramatize the scam patterns most-frequently reported to Better Business Bureau Connecticut, the FTC, and the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center. The protagonists are fictional composites; the patterns are real. Below is the index — each entry includes the category, the actual things people search for when they encounter it, and a link to the interactive case file.
If you’ve encountered something not listed here, or you’re in the middle of one of these right now, jump to the help directly →
Tech-support pop-up impersonation
A fake security alert appears on your screen claiming your computer is infected. The "support number" connects to a scammer who walks you through giving them remote access to your computer and your bank.
Microsoft support scam · Apple support scam · fake virus alert · tech support scam Connecticut · Windows Defender scam pop-up · computer locked screen scam
Scammers impersonate Microsoft, Apple, Norton, McAfee, and other major tech companies. A pop-up locks your browser with a loud alarm sound and a phone number. Real Microsoft, real Apple, real Norton will never lock your screen and demand you call them. The fix is to power off your machine and reboot — the pop-up is gone the moment the browser closes.
Who is targeted: Most often adults 55+ who use a desktop computer for occasional tasks (banking, email, taxes) and are less familiar with browser pop-up behavior.
Celebrity-endorsement investment scam
A Facebook ad or social-media post features a celebrity endorsing a "guaranteed" crypto or investment platform. The endorsement is fake. The platform is a scam designed to take your initial deposit and then ask for more.
Elon Musk crypto scam · Tom Hanks investment scam · celebrity crypto endorsement scam · Facebook investment ad scam · fake celebrity endorsement Connecticut · deepfake celebrity scam
Scammers fabricate endorsements from Elon Musk, Tom Hanks, Oprah, Joe Rogan, Warren Buffett, and other recognizable names — often using deepfake video. The "platform" they are endorsing shows you fake gains so you deposit more. When you try to withdraw, the site demands additional "taxes" or "verification fees." The money is gone the moment the first deposit clears.
Who is targeted: Adults 40+ with disposable savings, often researching investment options or recently retired. Facebook and Instagram are the primary ad-delivery surfaces.
Vehicle-listing escrow scam
A too-good-to-be-true vehicle listing on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, or AutoTrader directs you to a fake "escrow service" — often impersonating eBay Motors or a fictitious shipping company — that takes your money for a vehicle that does not exist.
Ford Bronco scam Craigslist · Facebook Marketplace car scam · eBay Motors escrow scam · vehicle shipping scam · AutoTrader scam Connecticut · fake car listing scam
Scammers list desirable used vehicles (Ford Bronco, Toyota Tacoma, Jeep Wrangler, Subaru Outback) below market value with a story about a military deployment or family emergency forcing a quick sale. The "escrow service" they direct you to is fake. Real eBay Motors escrow uses a different URL and process; the impersonators clone the look and feel down to the logo.
Who is targeted: Working adults 30-60 actively shopping for used vehicles. Pickup trucks and SUVs are over-represented in listings.
Police / warrant impersonation scam
A caller claims to be a CT State Trooper, local police officer, or sheriff’s deputy and tells you there is a warrant for your arrest — for missing jury duty, an unpaid fine, or "suspicious activity tied to your social security number." Pay immediately to avoid arrest.
CT State Police scam call · jury duty warrant scam · sheriff arrest warrant phone scam · police impersonation scam Connecticut · social security suspended scam · fake warrant Bitcoin payment
Real law enforcement — CT State Police, local PD, FBI, US Marshals — never demand payment over the phone, never accept payment in Bitcoin, gift cards, or wire transfers, and never threaten immediate arrest if you do not pay in the next 30 minutes. A real warrant is served in person at your home or workplace. The caller IDs are spoofed; the badge numbers are real (looked up from public records). The urgency is the manipulation.
Who is targeted: Often adults 60+, particularly those who are isolated, recently widowed, or otherwise without a trusted person to call mid-scam. Targets are picked from voter rolls and property records.
Romance scam with overseas-emergency escalation
Someone befriends you on Facebook, Instagram, a dating app, or a hobby site. The relationship deepens over months. Eventually they need money for a customs hold, a medical emergency, plane tickets home, or to release earnings stuck overseas. Each "emergency" leads to another.
military romance scam Facebook · marine engineer overseas scam · oil rig worker romance scam · dating app scam Connecticut · customs fee romance scam · Daniel scam romance fraud
Scammers pose as military officers, marine engineers, oil-rig workers, doctors with Médecins Sans Frontières, or other "noble far-away" professions that explain why they cannot video chat and why they have international wiring needs. The relationship is the asset — the emergencies are the extraction. Once one wire goes through, more emergencies follow. The slow, patient pacing is the tell.
Who is targeted: Often widowed or divorced adults 50+, particularly women. Facebook is the most common entry point; dating apps and hobby groups also feature.
AI voice-clone family emergency scam
Your phone rings late at night. The caller ID shows your child or grandchild. The voice is unmistakably theirs. They are in trouble — arrested, in the hospital, in a car accident. They need bail or medical funds wired immediately and please do not tell anyone else. The voice is an AI clone, generated from 30 seconds of audio scraped from social media.
grandparent scam Connecticut · AI voice clone scam · bail money scam grandchild · fake family emergency call · voice cloning scam phone call · deepfake voice scam parents
Recent advances in AI voice synthesis (Eleven Labs, Resemble.AI, Play.ht, and free open-source tools) require only 10-30 seconds of source audio to clone someone’s voice with high fidelity. Scammers source the audio from public Instagram videos, TikToks, YouTube uploads, and even voicemail greetings. The defense is a verification question that only the real family member would know — a pre-arranged "safe word," the name of a childhood pet, the name of a specific teacher.
Who is targeted: Parents and grandparents of adults under 40 (the demographic with the most publicly-posted voice content). The scam exploits parental panic, which overrides verification instincts.
About the institutional names in the case files
The interactive episodes use fictional CT-feel institution names — Constitution Bank, Yankee Mart, Whitfield Aerospace — because dramatizing a specific real business as either the target or the bystander of a scam pattern would be unfair to that business. The patterns themselves are real; the search terms in this index reference the real-world brands consumers actually search for.
If you have information about a specific scam targeting a specific Connecticut business or its customers, BBB Connecticut wants to hear from you at 860-740-4500 or via the BBB Scam Tracker. That is how the next person gets warned.