A Phishing101 resourceBack to the Scam Field Guide
Who runs this site, what it does and does not collect, the terms for using and sharing it, and how it is built to be readable by everyone. Short version: it collects nothing, and you are welcome to share it.
The Scam Field Guide explains how common scams work, the detail that gives each one away, and the move that stops it. It is free to read and free to share.
It is written by Dennis J Walsh, a security professional who runs social engineering awareness training, and a doctoral student researching how older adults recognize and resist digital scams across email, text message and voice. The site is published under his business name, Phishing101.
The site is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by any company, agency or organization it names.
Last updated September 25, 2026
In short: this site has no accounts, no forms, no cookies, no advertising and no tracking. It does not collect, sell or share personal information.
If you use the text size button, your choice is saved in your own browser, so the text stays the size you picked next time. That setting is stored under the name sfg-textsize, never leaves your device, and is never sent to this site. You can clear it at any time by clearing your browser's site data.
The site is hosted by Cloudflare. Like any web host, Cloudflare's servers handle basic technical information, such as your device's internet address, in order to deliver pages and protect the site from attacks. That is handled under Cloudflare's own privacy policy:
https://www.cloudflare.com/privacypolicy/
If you write to the contact address, the message and your email address are used only to read and reply to it. They are not added to any mailing list, sold or shared.
The guide links to government agencies, companies and other organizations so you can check its sources. Once you follow a link, that site's own privacy policy applies.
The site is written for adults and does not knowingly collect information from anyone, including children.
If this policy changes, the date at the top of this section will change with it.
Last updated September 25, 2026
In short: this is educational material, not professional advice. Share it freely with credit, but do not sell it or change it.
Everything on this site is for general education about scams and how to recognize them. It is not legal, financial or professional advice, and it is not a substitute for contacting your bank, the police or the right reporting agency. If you think you have been targeted, contact your bank first and then the reporting bodies listed in the guide.
Scams change constantly. The guide is written with care and its sources are linked so you can check them, but it may be incomplete or out of date, and no guide can spot every scam. The site is provided as it is, without any promise that it is complete or error free. To the extent the law allows, Dennis J Walsh and Phishing101 are not responsible for any loss that results from relying on it.
.example, a name reserved for examples that can never be registered or visited. Example phone numbers use the 555-01 range kept for fiction.Companies, government agencies and other organizations are named only to describe real events and to point you to their official information. Their names and trademarks belong to them. Naming them does not mean they are affiliated with, sponsor or endorse this site.
Links to other websites are provided so you can check sources and get help. Those sites are run by others, and this site is not responsible for their content.
Copyright 2026 Dennis J Walsh, doing business as Phishing101. The guide is shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license. In plain words:
For anything outside those terms, such as a customized or commercial version, use the contact address below. The full license:
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Material quoted from other sources, such as government reports and company statements, belongs to its original publishers and is quoted for education and comment.
These terms may be updated. The date at the top of this section shows the latest version.
Last updated September 25, 2026
This site is written for everyone, including people who find small text, low contrast or fiddly controls hard to use. It aims to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 at level AA.
The site has not yet been independently tested with screen readers or audited against WCAG. If something is hard to use, please say so. Reports are read and fixed.
Spotted a mistake, found the guide useful, or want to use it in your own training? Write to:
contact@scamfieldguide.com
The same address takes security reports about the site itself.
This address is not for reporting scams. If you have been targeted, contact your bank first, then the reporting bodies listed in the guide, such as the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center and the Federal Trade Commission.