| Rental Listing Scam | 🏠 Rental / Housing | Renters, especially young people and immigrants | Anyone who cannot prove they own or are authorized to rent the property is a red flag. Ask for proof before you pay anything. | ✓ Read Alert | ↗ Link |
| Jail Release Fee Scam | 🏛️ Government Impersonation | Families of anyone in custody | No one can arrange early jail release for a fee over the phone. The Sheriff's Office will never call asking for payment. | ✓ Read Alert | ↗ Link |
| EBT Scam | 💳 Financial / Benefits | CalFresh (SNAP) recipients | Your county or the State will never text or call you requesting your personal information such as your EBT card number and your personal identification number (PIN). | | ↗ Link |
| Hotel Booking Scam | Travel | Tourists and SF visitors | Book directly through the hotel's website or a verified platform. Third-party booking sites with unusually low rates may take your money and leave you without a reservation. | | ↗ Link |
| Utility Shutoff Scam | 🏛️ Government Impersonation | Utility customers (PG&E, SFPUC) | SFPUC and PG&E will never demand same-day payment by gift card or prepaid card over the phone. | | ↗ Link |
| Chinese Consulate Scam | 🏛️ Government Impersonation | Chinese immigrant community | The Chinese Consulate will never call demanding money or threatening arrest. Official agencies do not resolve legal matters over the phone. | | ↗ Link |
| Indian Consulate Scam | 🏛️ Government Impersonation | Indian immigrant community | The Indian Consulate will never call demanding payment to resolve a visa or immigration issue. Hang up and contact the consulate through official contact information you find yourself. | | ↗ Link |
| FBI / IC3 Impersonation Scam | 🏛️ Government Impersonation | General public; prior scam victims targeted a second time | The FBI will never call to request money. If someone claims to be helping you recover funds from a previous scam, they are running a second scam. Report to ic3.gov directly. | | ↗ Link |
| Fake Parking Ticket Text (Smishing) | 🏛️ Government Impersonation | Vehicle owners | SFMTA only notifies you of parking violations by mail — never by text with a payment link. | | ↗ Link |
| Grandparent / Family Emergency Scam | 🚨 Family Emergency | Seniors | Call the family member directly using a number you already have before sending any money. | | ↗ Link |
| Romance Scam | 💕 Romance / Investment | Adults of all ages, particularly seniors | Anyone you have never met in person who asks for money is almost certainly a scammer. | | ↗ Link |
| Fake Job Listing Scam | 💼 Employment | Youth, job seekers, recent graduates | Legitimate employers will never ask you to pay to get a job or to purchase your own equipment using a check they send you. | | ↗ Link |
| EBT / CalFresh Card Skimming | 💳 Financial / Benefits | CalFresh (SNAP) recipients | Check card readers for anything loose or unusual before inserting your card. Change your EBT PIN regularly. | | ↗ Link |
| Blessing Scam | 🤲 Charity / In-Person | Seniors, Chinese community members, tourists | Strangers who hand you charms, bracelets, or other items and then demand payment or a "blessing" are running a scam. Never accept unsolicited gifts from strangers on the street. | | ↗ Link |
| Tech Support Scam | 💻 Tech Support | Seniors, general public | Legitimate tech companies will never send pop-up alerts telling you to call a number or send someone to your door. Any unsolicited tech support contact is a scam. | | ↗ Link |
| Bank / Payment App Impersonation Scam | 🏦 Banking / Phishing | Bank customers, Zelle and app payment users | Your bank will never text or call asking you to verify a transaction by calling back a number in the message. Hang up and call the number on the back of your card directly. | | ↗ Link |
| Medicare / Medi-Cal Identity Theft | 🪪 Identity Theft / Healthcare | Medicare and Medi-Cal recipients, seniors, low-income residents | Your Medicare or Medi-Cal number is as sensitive as your Social Security number. Anyone who offers money or gifts in exchange for your card number is committing identity theft. | | ↗ Link |
| Online Marketplace / Social Media Scam | 🛒 Online Shopping | Online buyers and sellers | Never click a link from a buyer or seller to "complete" a payment. Go directly to Zelle, PayPal, or your bank app yourself. Fake checkout pages steal your card and personal information. | | ↗ Link |
| Kaiser / Healthcare Provider Impersonation | 🏥 Healthcare Impersonation | Kaiser members, healthcare patients | Your healthcare provider will never call asking for your member number, SSN, or payment over the phone. Hang up and call the number on your insurance card directly. | | ↗ Link |
| Fake Pet Microchip Scam | 💻 Tech Support / Phishing | Pet owners, seniors | Pet microchips do not expire. Any email claiming your pet's microchip needs to be renewed or updated is a scam designed to steal your payment information. | | ↗ Link |
| "Auto Mechanic" / Parking Lot Scam | 🔧 In-Person | Vehicle owners, general public | A stranger who approaches you in a parking lot claiming your car has a problem, then offers to fix it for cash, will likely cause damage and demand more money. Do not let unsolicited strangers work on your vehicle. | | ↗ Link |
