One odd moment is rarely a red flag; a pattern is, and so are a few signs that matter on their own: pressure to decide now, secrecy, unusual ways to pay, and requests for codes or money from someone you've never met. Pick the situation, tick only what you have actually seen, and get a risk level, what each sign means and what to check next.
Last updated:
Private: everything runs in your browser. Nothing you tick is sent or saved.
Each sign carries a weight. Weight 3 signs are ones that official fraud guidance treats as serious on their own (for example being asked for a one-time code, gift cards or crypto, or to pay to get a job). Weight 2 signs are strong warnings. Weight 1 signs mean "watch for a pattern".
| Result | When you get it |
|---|---|
| Low | Only one or two weight-1 signs. Keep watching; most people are fine. |
| Caution | Several signs but no weight-3 sign, or relationship signs you've seen only once. Slow down and verify. |
| High | A weight-3 sign, or a total of 6 or more. Pause: no money, documents or commitments until you've checked. |
| Stop | Two or more weight-3 signs, or a total of 9 or more. Don't continue; verify independently and report it if it's a scam. |
| Get help | Any safety sign in a relationship (harm, threats, control of money, phone or movements). That's beyond red flags; the result shows helplines. |
The relationship signs come from Red Flags: behaviour, never labels. For relationships the checker needs a pattern before it rates anything above Caution, because everyone has a bad day. The deal, job and online-offer signs follow official consumer-protection guidance (FTC, SEC, FCA), listed below.
This tool puts a few of the named techniques from Red Flags to work. Each line says how it relates to the tool.
See every technique in Red Flags →
In people, a red flag is a pattern: the same behaviour, in different situations, over time. One incident is usually just a bad day. In money and online offers it's different: some requests are red flags on their own, such as being asked for a one-time passcode, payment by gift card or crypto, or to pay to get a job.
The US Federal Trade Commission lists four signs of a scam: they pretend to be from an organisation you know, they say there's a problem or a prize, they pressure you to act immediately, and they tell you to pay in a specific way, such as a gift card, crypto, a wire transfer or a payment app.
Being asked to pay for training, equipment or a background check before you start; being sent a cheque and asked to send part of it back or buy gift cards; and an offer with no real interview. The FTC's advice is never to pay for the promise of a job.
Intense attention and big plans far faster than you've known each other, warmth that switches to coldness without warning, a history in which every ex or friend was the problem, and conversations where you raise something they did and end up apologising. If someone hurts you, threatens you, or controls your money, phone or movements, that's abuse: contact a domestic-abuse helpline or the police.
No, and it doesn't try. A diagnosis is a clinical judgement made by a trained person. Most people with a mental-health condition are not manipulative, and most manipulative people have no diagnosis. The checker looks at behaviour, because the behaviour is what you can see and respond to.
Contact your bank or card provider straight away using the number on your card, change any passwords you shared, and report it: in the UK to Action Fraud, in the US at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, in India on 1930 or cybercrime.gov.in. Acting quickly gives the best chance of stopping a payment.
General information, not legal, financial or psychological advice, and not a way to diagnose anyone. A low result doesn't mean something is safe; a high result doesn't prove fraud or bad intent. If you are in danger, call your local emergency number (999 UK, 911 US, 112 India and EU).