On October 12th, we hosted our very first Scam Search Party, bringing together both technical and non-technical participants to collaboratively investigate a real scam submitted to the Cybersecurity Reach Foundation.
What Happened
Participants worked together to trace scam email origins, identify connected fake identities, and uncover the broader network behind a single fraudulent campaign. By the end of the session, everyone contributed to a massive collaborative investigation board — a visual map showing how one scam can link dozens of fake names, emails, and domains across multiple countries.
Why It Matters
The Scam Search Party is part of our effort to make cybersecurity investigation accessible to everyone. You don’t need to be a professional investigator to help fight online scams — all it takes is curiosity and collaboration. Events like this empower people to understand how scammers operate and help us publish insights that protect others.
What’s Next
We’re now compiling everyone’s findings into a public investigation report, which will soon be available on CybersecurityReach.org. A corresponding entry will also appear on ScamArchive.org, so others can learn from this case and spot similar scams in the future.
Thank You
A huge thank-you to everyone who participated for making this event such a success. Your collaboration and enthusiasm showed how powerful community-driven cybersecurity can be.
Stay tuned for updates on our next Scam Search Party and how you can join future investigations.