Help us put plain-language scam recognition in everyone's pocket — especially the people scammers target most.
Recognize the pattern, stop the scam — PlainScam turns scam recognition into a plain-language, offline skill anyone can build, without ever touching your real accounts, calls, or messages.
PlainScam is a scam-education app for iOS and Android, built and maintained by EqualInformation, LLC. It packs over 1,100 free and Pro guides across 35 modules — phone/robocall, SMS, email/phishing, tech-support, government/tax impersonation, delivery, romance, crypto, investment, and elder/family-targeted scams among them — plus real, interactive tools: a decision tree for live pressure moments, a message/call pattern-checker, a numeracy gut-check for "is this return realistic," quizzes, checklists, red-flag scorers, a personal log, and a shareable card generator.
PlainScam is not a fraud-monitoring service and never touches your real accounts, calls, or messages — its edge is teaching the underlying pattern (urgency, secrecy, authority, unusual payment methods) so it transfers to any scam you'll ever meet, on or off the app. The core protection modules are free for everyone, permanently; an optional PlainScam Pro subscription unlocks specialized-depth modules for higher-stakes categories. PlainScam is published on Google Play (Android) and the App Store (iOS). Your support helps us keep the free tier genuinely useful, expand coverage of emerging scam patterns, and keep every tool working entirely offline.
Scams work by exploiting the same handful of pressure tactics — urgency, secrecy, authority, an unusual payment method — dressed up in a thousand different disguises. Learn the pattern once, and it transfers to every disguise you'll ever encounter, which is exactly what PlainScam is built to teach.
Trust matters most in the moments scammers create the most pressure. PlainScam's real-time decision-support tools, in-call countdown timer, and pattern-checker exist to give you something concrete to do — slow down, verify independently — right when a scammer is counting on you not to.
PlainScam is education, not fraud detection. It never has access to your real accounts, calls, or messages, and it always reinforces verifying suspicious contact independently, through a number or website you look up yourself.
Information shared is power shared. Scam recognition should reach the people targeted most — elderly relatives, first-time smartphone users, anyone under financial pressure — for free, which is why PlainScam is part of the EqualInformation portfolio.
Disclaimer: PlainScam is an educational, pattern-recognition tool, not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or law-enforcement advice. If you believe you are a victim of fraud, contact your bank, local authorities, or (in the US) the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov as soon as possible.
Tell us what helped, what was unclear, and which scam patterns or modules you would like to see next. Your feedback directly shapes the product.
Support continued development with monthly or one-time sponsorships directly through GitHub. 100% goes to the developer — no fees.
One-time donation via credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or other payment methods. Secure checkout powered by Stripe.
Your voluntary contribution helps cover development tools, testing devices, app store fees, and ongoing maintenance. Every amount makes a difference.
No features or services are unlocked by a donation. PlainScam's core protection modules are free for everyone, with no ads. PlainScam Pro is a separate, optional subscription for specialized-depth modules. Donations are entirely voluntary and do not create any obligation, entitlement, or guarantee of specific features or outcomes.