Research
Scam research and evidence
Research-backed explanations of why scams work, how fraud patterns change, and what international evidence can teach us about prevention.
Scam prevention is more useful when it goes beyond memorizing warning signs. ScamMark reviews behavioral research, experiments, systematic reviews, enforcement data and consumer-protection evidence to understand how scams create trust, urgency and decision pressure.
Evidence can come from anywhere
Useful scam research is published in many countries and languages. ScamMark does not limit its source discovery to English-language material. A Japanese police dataset, a French cyber-assistance report, a Spanish consumer-security guide or an academic paper may each reveal a different part of the problem.
What the evidence can — and cannot — prove
A result from one country, age group or platform is not automatically universal. Research pages identify important limits and distinguish measured findings from ScamMark's interpretation and practical takeaways.
For country-level figures with explicitly different reporting definitions, start with Are scams rising in my country?. It begins with the United States, Canada and Australia instead of manufacturing a global league table.
Are scams rising in my country? How to check official fraud trends
Check official fraud reports for the US, Canada and Australia, understand what changed, and avoid misleading comparisons of reported scams.
Read guide →GuideGlobal scam signals: what recent data from different countries is showing
Compare recent scam and fraud signals from INTERPOL, Japan, France and Spain, including social engineering, impersonation and pressure tactics.
Read guide →GuideWhat does “mark” mean in a scam?
In confidence-trick slang, a “mark” is the intended target of the swindle. The history of the word also explains the idea behind the ScamMark name.
Read guide →GuideWhy scams work: pressure, trust and decision shortcuts
Research suggests scam susceptibility is shaped by decision conditions, literacy, cognition, wellbeing and context — not by a simple divide between smart and foolish people.
Read guide →