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Every statistic in the ScamSignal pattern library traces back to a primary source. Here is exactly how we collect, verify, and maintain the data behind each scam pattern.
Every loss figure and complaint count links to a specific government publication.
When data is missing or unverified, we flag it rather than fill it with estimates.
Each pattern carries a verification date and is re-checked on a 90-day rolling cycle.
Official U.S. government publications. Highest reliability. All loss figures and complaint counts originate here.
Peer-reviewed research, established security firms, and financial industry reports. Used to supplement government data with technical detail.
Named enforcement actions with specific defendants, dollar amounts, and outcomes. These provide real-world accountability context.
Victim reports, BBB Scam Tracker, Reddit threads, and news investigations. Useful for emerging patterns not yet in government data, but never treated as authoritative for statistics.
A new scam type is flagged when it appears in IC3 complaint data, FTC Consumer Sentinel, or at least two Tier 2 industry reports.
Loss figures, complaint counts, and demographic data are pulled exclusively from Tier 1 government sources. Every number includes its source attribution.
How-it-works breakdowns, example messages, and red flags checklists are authored from enforcement case documents, victim testimonies, and technical analyses.
Each pattern is reviewed against multiple independent sources. Statistics that conflict between sources are noted with both figures and their respective attributions.
If no primary source exists for a data point, we say so. Categories with missing demographic data include a suggested federal source rather than fabricating numbers.
Every pattern carries a lastVerified date showing when its statistics were last checked against primary sources. Patterns are re-verified on a rolling 90-day cycle.
We don't fabricate statistics when data is unavailable.
We don't cite secondary sources without flagging them as such.
We don't use a single data point from one source when multiple sources conflict without disclosing the discrepancy.
We don't present industry estimates as government-verified figures.
We don't remove the verification date from patterns that haven't been recently checked.