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.