Recognizing and Avoiding Scams

## How to Protect Yourself from Scams Unfortunately, scammers target users on all online platforms, and pfans is no exception. Knowing what to look for is the best defense. **Common scams to watch for:** **Phishing emails** You receive an email that looks like it's from pfans, asking you to "verify your account" or "update your payment information" by clicking a link. The link takes you to a fake login page designed to steal your credentials. **pfans will never ask for your password via email.** If you receive a suspicious email, don't click any links. Go to pfans directly by typing the URL in your browser. **Off-platform payment requests** Someone (posing as a creator or another user) asks you to pay them outside of pfans through Cash App, Venmo, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency sent to their personal wallet. Payments outside the platform are never sanctioned by pfans, and you lose all buyer protections. **Fake login pages** A link that looks like pfans.com but is actually a slightly different URL (like pfanss.com or pfans-login.com). Always check the URL in your browser's address bar before entering your credentials. **"Free subscription" scams** Messages or posts promising free subscriptions to premium creators in exchange for personal information, clicking a link, or completing a survey. These are always scams. **Impersonation** Someone creates an account pretending to be a well-known creator or pfans staff member and asks for money, personal info, or access to your account. **How to stay safe:** - Always access pfans by typing pfans.com directly in your browser - Never share your password with anyone, including people who claim to work for pfans - Be skeptical of offers that seem too good to be true - Report suspicious accounts or messages using the report function - Enable 2FA on your account for an extra layer of protection **When in doubt, contact our support team.** We'd rather investigate a false alarm than have you fall victim to a scam.