Investigating Scams: verify and document

01

Thinking like an investigator, safely

In simple words

A good detective does not guess. They collect clues, check each clue in a second place, and write everything down. They also stay safe: they never walk alone into the bad guy's house.

Before this course: Fraud Prevention: recognise and respond (course 5.7.2). This course assumes you know the pressure patterns (rush, secrecy, unusual payment), the main scam types, how to secure your accounts and the first steps after a scam. Here you learn to check claims step by step and build a record that authorities can use.

Key facts

Claims are not evidence. "We are licensed", "guaranteed returns" and "thousands of happy clients" are claims. Evidence is something you can check yourself in an independent, official place.
Use independent sources. Go to an official site by typing its address yourself or using a bookmark. Do not use the link, phone number or "registration number" the offer gave you, because scammers can fake those.
Three questions guide every check:

Who is it? Exact legal name, address, website, phone, payment details.
Are they allowed? Registration with the right regulator for that activity.
Can I prove it? Screenshots, saved messages, receipts and a timeline.

Safety rules: do not reply, send money, install apps, give remote access or share codes to "test" the scammer. Do not try to break into their accounts or sites. Do not post private details of victims or suspects online.
Absence of a warning is not proof of safety. A firm that is not on any warning list may still be a scam. You must find a positive match in an official register.

Step by step

Take one offer you have seen (an ad, message or post). Do not reply to it.
Open a new note called "Case file" and write the date and where you saw the offer.
Copy every claim the offer makes into a list, word for word.
Next to each claim, write how you could check it in an independent place (for example "regulator's register").
Copy every identifier: names, website, phone, email, social media handle, payment details.
Write the safety rules at the top of the note.
Check: every claim has a planned check, and you have not contacted the sender.

Watch on YouTube

Evaluating a source's reasoning and evidenceKhan Academy · YouTube · youtube.com

Videos by other creators on YouTube, for reference. They are not made by or affiliated with The Future Market.

LESSON 01Thinking like an investigator, safely

LESSON 01 / ANIMATED LESSON / AI VOICE00:00 / 01:05

Voice

Read the video script

[Host] "Someone says they're licensed. How do you know?"
[Text on screen: CLAIM ≠ EVIDENCE] "That's a claim. Evidence is something you can check yourself, somewhere official."
[Text on screen: WHO? ALLOWED? PROOF?] "Ask three questions: Who is it? Are they allowed? Can I prove it?"
[Text on screen: use your own bookmark, not their link] "Always go to the official site yourself. Never through their link."
[Host] "And stay safe. Don't reply, don't pay, don't hack back. Investigate quietly."

Try it now

Start a case file for one real offer you have seen. List every claim and every identifier, and plan one independent check for each claim.

ClaudeStuck? Copy a ready-made prompt for Claude

Copy this, open Claude, paste it, and Claude will walk you through the lesson step by step.

For a grown-up: Claude is for adults (18+). Copy this, paste it into Claude, and use the answer to explain the lesson to your child.

I'm learning "Investigating Scams: verify and document" on The Future Market. Lesson 1: "Thinking like an investigator, safely".

What the lesson teaches:
- Claims are not evidence. "We are licensed", "guaranteed returns" and "thousands of happy clients" are claims. Evidence is something you can check yourself in an independent, official place.
- Use independent sources. Go to an official site by typing its address yourself or using a bookmark. Do not use the link, phone number or "registration number" the offer gave you, because scammers can fake those.
- Three questions guide every check:
- Safety rules: do not reply, send money, install apps, give remote access or share codes to "test" the scammer. Do not try to break into their accounts or sites. Do not post private details of victims or suspects online.
- Absence of a warning is not proof of safety. A firm that is not on any warning list may still be a scam. You must find a positive match in an official register.

The exercise I'm working on:
Start a case file for one real offer you have seen. List every claim and every identifier, and plan one independent check for each claim. ---

I'm stuck. Please:
1. Explain the main idea in plain, simple words with one everyday example.
2. Walk me through the exercise one small step at a time. Ask me what I've done so far before giving the next step.
3. Don't just give me the final answer. Help me do it myself, and check my work when I share it.
4. This is for learning only. Remind me to check with a licensed professional before I make a real decision about my own money, health or legal situation.

I'm a parent helping my child (about 8 years old) with a lesson called "Thinking like an investigator, safely" from the course "Investigating Scams: verify and document".

Here's what the lesson says:
A good detective does not guess. They collect clues, check each clue in a second place, and write everything down. They also stay safe: they never walk alone into the bad guy's house.

The activity:
Start a case file for one real offer you have seen. List every claim and every identifier, and plan one independent check for each claim. ---

Please explain this so an 8-year-old understands: short sentences, a fun everyday example, and no hard words.
Then give me 3 simple questions I can ask my child to check they understood, and a way to do the activity together, one tiny step at a time.
Keep it general and educational. This is not advice for a real situation.

Open Claude

My notes

I learned this

02