r/Scams rules, stats, and what to post
Know the rules before you post. So easy grandma can do it.
- To post
- No minimum in the rules
- To comment
- No minimum in the rules
- Self-promotion
- Banned
- Links
- Banned
- Promo risk
- High
- From the rules, not from removal counts
- Community age
- 17 years
- Since Jan 2009
About r/Scams
A source-backed Rankhog guide to r/Scams: public rules, community context, posting fit, and startup-promotion risk before you publish.Checked from the r/Scams rules on Reddit. Look up any subreddit's numbers in the free subreddit stats checker.
r/Scams rules
15 rules, in the community's own words.
- 1
Be civil
Posts and comments at r/scams should be civil and use appropriate and respectful language at all times. - Flaming, name-calling, bullying, harassment, or anything else that could break site-wide rules or offend or disturb others is prohibited Regardless of whether a scam has been posted here once or a thousand times, remember there is a real person behind the screen. We are a landing page for people new to Reddit, and people in crisis. Be kind, not snarky.
- 2
Report recovery scammers
Anyone suggesting contact via DM, or the services of a professional hacker to help recover funds must be reported. Remember: never take advice in private, because we can't look out for you. If you take advice in private, you're on your own.
- 3
No personal information
Sharing personal information is strictly forbidden in this subreddit. Please censor any personal information in posts and comments. This includes:
- Phone numbers
- Email addresses
- Social media handles
- Physical addresses
- Full names The exception to this rule is people who present themselves as public figures (ex: celebrities, internet personalities, etc.)
- 4
No spam/off-topic
This subreddit is a place for meaningful and useful discussions about scams. We do not permit:
- Nonsensical and useless content
- AI-generated posts/comments
- Memes
- Advertisements
- Solicitation
- Sarcasm on serious posts
- Posts asking to verify online stores or retail websites. These should be submitted to other topic-specific subreddits. If you don't know where to post, go to r/findareddit
- Store reviews
- Unexpected subscription posts may be removed at moderator's discretion.
- 5
No low effort posts
Please ensure that all posts posted to this subreddit are of decent quality and on-topic. We do not permit:
- Short posts with little to no context about the question or scam being discussed
- Screenshots without transcripts
- Links to external articles with no information in the body of your post
- Link posts to outside websites
- AI generated posts/comments
- Memes, jokes, or anything else that isn't useful
- 6
No uncensored nudity or photos of dead people
- Don't post nudity without censoring it
- Don't upload photos of dead people without censoring them, regardless of the NSFW tag All NSFW posts will be queued for moderation. Be patient.
- 7
No personal army requests
We do not allow requests to:
- Mass report accounts, websites, apps, etc.
- Text/call alleged scam phone numbers
- Harass alleged scammers Innocent people have their identities and contact information spoofed by scammers, and this behavior is not aligned with Reddit's content policy.
- 8
No private message requests
Don't ask for contact via private message. We need to keep the community safe from recovery scammers or bad advice. Remember: never take advice in private, because we can't look out for you. If you take advice in private, you're on your own.
- 9
No scambaiting
This is a scam identification subreddit. We do not encourage or support scambaiting, which is interacting with known scammers to waste their time. This also includes knowingly engaging with scammers with the intent to "game the system" and financially benefit from a scam. We consider scambaiting to be dangerous, especially when done by inexperienced individuals. Additionally, we do not permit posts referring people to other subreddits or websites that promote scambaiting.
- 10
No self promotion
We do not allow the following:
- Advertising your Youtube, Tiktok, Instagram, or other social media channels
- Advertising your website, product, app, or service, even if free to use
- Referral codes
- Promotional posts or comments
- Participation from unapproved branded Reddit accounts. This includes brand usernames and references to your site/business/etc in your account bio
- 11
No promoting illegal or prohibited activities
Do not promote:
- Hacks
- Recovery services
- Discussing buying/selling accounts, or anything that violates the TOS of popular platforms
- Discussing unethical or illegal activities, including but no limited to: gaming recovery scammers, committing fraud against financial institutions, etc.
- 12
No research requests, media requests, or AMAs without moderator approval
Given the nature of our subreddit and the risk of scammers, you cannot post a survey, a call for participants for a news story, or other research/writing opportunities without moderator approval. This is especially the case if you are collecting personal information from sub members for an article or for university/work research. This also applies to AMAs; you must submit a request to moderators if you are interested in hosting an AMA. A tag will be added to approved posts.
- 13
No scammers
We are not a subreddit to promote your scams.
- 14
No begging or crowdfunding links.
We do not permit:
- Requests for money through Cashapp/Venmo/Zelle, Bitcoin wallets, GoFundMe, etc.
- Requests for wishlist purchases
- Donations or crowdfunding for your project, app, website, etc.
- 15
Keep it safe
Everybody should strive to make r/Scams a safe place. Bad advice or concerning posts should be reported to the mods, not only downvoted.
- Clickable links to scam websites are not allowed. We favor putting website addresses in the titles of posts
- Moderators will use their discretion to prevent users from posting something that may be harmful for themselves or the community
- We also heavily moderate posts by underage users, for their protection
What to post in r/Scams
What fits the room, and what gets removed.
Works well
- A detailed write-up of a scam pattern you have personally observed, with the warning signs spelled out and no product mentioned anywhere
- A post that puts a suspicious website address in the title instead of linking to it, following the community's own stated preference
- A screenshot of a scam message with a full transcript in the body and every phone number, handle, and name censored out
- A plain-language answer in the comments of someone's scam panic post, explaining what the red flags are and what to do next
- A moderator-approved research or AMA post, requested through the moderators first and tagged once approved
Avoid
- Posting any clickable link to a scam website, even as evidence, because the rules say to put the address in the title instead
- Leaving a phone number, email address, social media handle, physical address, or full name uncensored in a screenshot or post
- Dropping your product, app, website, or referral code into a post or comment, even framed as a free tool
- Using a brand username or mentioning your business in your account bio, since unapproved branded accounts are not allowed to participate
- Asking anyone to continue the conversation in private messages, which the community treats as a recovery scammer behavior
- Suggesting a professional hacker, recovery service, or any way to get stolen funds back, which is banned and must be reported when others do it
Best hours to post in r/Scams
No pattern yet. r/Scams does not have enough top posts from the last 90 days to name its best hours.
What actually works in r/scams
These are the highest scoring posts Rankhog observed in r/scams over the past month, with what each one did differently. Rankhog watches this community continuously, so it sees posts when they are published and again as they climb.
- Upvotes
- 1.9k
- Comments
- 343
- Posted
- Nov 1, 2026
Why it worked
- Rankhog breakout tier from a local post-score estimate
- Told in the first person
- Short paragraphs rather than one block of text
- Almost no downvotes (97% upvoted)
![Screenshot of a post in r/scams titled "[US] I received a Wolverine card in the mail from someone who had a brain injury trying to reconnect with her boyfriend?" with 443 upvotes](/og/reddit-post/t3_1xo5h17/image.png)
- Upvotes
- 443
- Comments
- 102
- Posted
- Nov 5, 2026
Why it worked
- Rankhog breakout tier from a local post-score estimate
- Asks the community a question instead of announcing something
- Short paragraphs rather than one block of text
![Screenshot of a post in r/scams titled "[US] My mom is dating Elon Musk." with 338 upvotes](/og/reddit-post/t3_1xndlpl/image.png)
- Upvotes
- 338
- Comments
- 112
- Posted
- Nov 4, 2026
Why it worked
- Rankhog breakout tier from a local post-score estimate
- Told in the first person
- Short paragraphs rather than one block of text
- Almost no downvotes (95% upvoted)
![Screenshot of a post in r/scams titled "[US] I received cash in the mail" with 315 upvotes](/og/reddit-post/t3_1xoomb1/image.png)
- Upvotes
- 315
- Comments
- 119
- Posted
- Nov 5, 2026
Why it worked
- Rankhog breakout tier from a local post-score estimate
- Told in the first person
- Short paragraphs rather than one block of text
![Screenshot of a post in r/scams titled "Warning: [US] Fake MyChart “Premium First Aid Kit” Email Circulating" with 277 upvotes](/og/reddit-post/t3_1xs87of/image.png)
- Upvotes
- 277
- Comments
- 42
- Posted
- Nov 10, 2026
Why it worked
- Rankhog breakout tier from a local post-score estimate
- Broken into a scannable list
- Short paragraphs rather than one block of text
![Screenshot of a post in r/scams titled "[US] Is this a scam or genuine wrong number?" with 266 upvotes](/og/reddit-post/t3_1xmwiwi/image.png)
- Upvotes
- 266
- Comments
- 87
- Posted
- Nov 3, 2026
Why it worked
- Rankhog top tier from a local post-score estimate
- Asks the community a question instead of announcing something
![Screenshot of a post in r/scams titled "[Aus] PC popup scans - how to proceed" with 246 upvotes](/og/reddit-post/t3_1xqslmj/image.png)
- Upvotes
- 246
- Comments
- 67
- Posted
- Nov 8, 2026
Why it worked
- Rankhog top tier from a local post-score estimate
- Upvotes
- 206
- Comments
- 55
- Posted
- Nov 6, 2026
Why it worked
- Rankhog breakout tier from a local post-score estimate
- Asks the community a question instead of announcing something
- Short paragraphs rather than one block of text
- Upvotes
- 203
- Comments
- 78
- Posted
- Nov 3, 2026
Why it worked
- Rankhog breakout tier from a local post-score estimate
- Short paragraphs rather than one block of text
- Upvotes
- 157
- Comments
- 56
- Posted
- Nov 11, 2026
Why it worked
- Rankhog top tier from a local post-score estimate
- Short paragraphs rather than one block of text
What r/Scams Is For
This is an educational subreddit focused on scams. People come here to educate themselves about scams, to find support after being targeted, and to learn how to help a friend or loved one who may be a victim. The description says it is a landing page for people new to Reddit and for people in crisis, so many readers arrive stressed and looking for answers, not products. The rules frame the place as a scam identification subreddit, meaning the core activity is posting a suspicious message, call, or website and letting the community help work out whether it is a scam. The moderators also expect descriptive titles, civil discussion, and serious treatment of serious posts.
Rules That Matter Before Posting
The rule that decides everything for a founder is “No self promotion”, which bans advertising your website, product, app, or service even if it is free to use, along with referral codes and participation from unapproved branded Reddit accounts. “No spam/off-topic” bans advertisements, memes, AI-generated posts and comments, and store reviews, so there is no soft path to promotion here. “No low effort posts” requires decent quality and on-topic posts and rejects short posts with little context, screenshots without transcripts, and links to external articles with nothing in the body. “No private message requests” forbids asking anyone to continue a conversation in DMs, which kills the classic let us take this offline move. “No personal information” requires you to censor phone numbers, email addresses, social media handles, physical addresses, and full names in anything you post. “No research requests, media requests, or AMAs without moderator approval” means any survey or interview pitch needs a moderator to approve it first. “Keep it safe” bans clickable links to scam websites and says website addresses belong in post titles instead. “No promoting illegal or prohibited activities” rules out discussing recovery services or anything that breaks a platform's terms of service.
What To Post
For a founder doing respectful marketing here, the honest answer is that almost nothing promotional survives, so the play is to participate as a knowledgeable member with no product attached. A good post is a detailed, first-hand write-up of a scam pattern you have genuinely seen, with enough context that a person in crisis can recognize it, written in your own words and not generated by AI. If you are documenting a scam website, put the website address in the post title and never paste a clickable link, because “Keep it safe” asks for exactly that. If you include a screenshot, add a transcript and censor every phone number, email, handle, address, and full name before posting. If you want to run a survey or an AMA, message the moderators first and wait for approval, because “No research requests, media requests, or AMAs without moderator approval” requires it. Answer questions in the comments with plain, useful, civil advice and never suggest taking the conversation to DMs.
What To Avoid
Do not advertise your product, website, app, or service, and do not use referral codes or promotional comments, because “No self promotion” removes all of it. Do not post memes, jokes, sarcasm on serious posts, or AI-generated content, because “No spam/off-topic” and “No low effort posts” both call these out. Do not post a short question with no context, a screenshot without a transcript, or a bare link to an outside article, because “No low effort posts” rejects those. Do not ask people to verify online stores or retail websites, since “No spam/off-topic” sends those to other subreddits. Do not ask anyone to move to private messages, because “No private message requests” forbids it and the community treats private advice as unsafe. Do not suggest recovery services, hackers, or ways to get money back, because “Report recovery scammers” and “No promoting illegal or prohibited activities” treat that as a scam in itself. Do not ask people to mass report accounts or text alleged scam numbers, because “No personal army requests” bans it. Do not share anyone's personal information uncensored, because “No personal information” is strict about it. Do not post clickable links to scam websites, because “Keep it safe” says to put the address in the title instead. Do not post a survey, media request, or AMA without moderator approval, because “No research requests, media requests, or AMAs without moderator approval” requires it.
A note from Anthony
What strikes me most here is rule 8, the ban on private message requests, because it shows the moderators understand that scammers follow victims into the comments. I also respect rule 2, which asks members to report anyone offering fund recovery help, since that is exactly where desperate people get hurt twice. This is one of the few communities where the kindest thing you can do as a marketer is stay completely invisible.
By Anthony Riera, founder and operator of Rankhog. Every guide is built from the community's own public rules and data, then checked by Rankhog's grounding audit before it goes live.
Common questions about r/Scams
What subreddits are similar to r/Scams?
Can I mention my scam protection tool if it is free?
Can I run a survey here for my startup research?
Can I link to the scam site so people can see it?
Can I use AI to draft my post?
Can I ask people to DM me about their case?
Subreddits like r/Scams
Other rooms for the same crowd.