Digital nomads rent homes, take remote jobs, file entry forms, and move money in new countries throughout the year. Scammers aim at each of those steps. This guide covers nine scam patterns, with the warning signs and the official sources behind them. Knowing the pattern makes a problem easier to spot before any money moves.
How these scams were chosen
Each scam below appears in a step that nomads cannot skip: housing, work, entry rules, money, relationships, or internet access. Each claim traces to a regulator, an immigration authority, a card network, or the platform involved. Most loss figures come from the United States, because the FTC and the FBI publish detailed yearly reports. Reported figures cover only people who filed a complaint, so actual losses are likely higher. The entries follow the order of a typical move, and all figures and rules were checked in November 2026.
Nine scams nomads run into
1. Fake rental listings and deposit requests
A monthly rental that a nomad has not seen in person gives scammers room to work. The FTC describes two common versions.
- How it works: Scammers copy photos and text from a real listing and swap in their own contact details. Others invent a listing with below-market rent.
- Where it shows up: In the year to June 2025, about half of FTC rental scam reports began with a fake Facebook ad. Another 16% began on Craigslist.
- Scale: Between January 2020 and June 2025, people reported nearly 65,000 rental scams to the FTC. Losses were about $65 million, and the median loss was $1,000.
- Warning signs: The “owner” is abroad and cannot show the place. The price sits well below nearby rents, and payment is requested by wire transfer, gift card, or crypto.
The FTC notes that some scammers offer a self-guided tour with a lockbox code. A video tour or a lockbox code does not prove that a listing is real. A coliving space run by a named company can give more to check than a private listing, although the address and payment checks still apply.
What to do: Searching the address with the owner or company name shows whether other ads exist for the same home. A signed contract and a live video call from inside the property should come before any deposit.
2. Off-platform payment requests on stay-booking sites
Booking sites protect a payment only while it stays inside the site. Scammers try to pull the guest out of it.
- How it works: A host, or someone posing as site support, offers a discount for a bank transfer. Some send a link to a look-alike payment page.
- The platform rule: Airbnb’s payment policy says guests and hosts must keep booking payments on the platform. The policy also bars them from asking each other to communicate off the platform before booking.
- Fraud signs listed by Airbnb: Requests to pay by wire, bank transfer, cashier’s check, or money order. Any unfamiliar request to pay outside Airbnb is also a sign, even from someone claiming to represent Airbnb.
- What is lost: Airbnb’s help center says a guest who pays outside the platform loses AirCover protection.
A discount for paying outside the site can cost more than it saves when the listing turns out to be fake. Once the money has left the platform, no support team can step in.
What to do: Keeping messages and payment inside the app preserves the platform’s support. A request to leave the app can be reported through the platform’s help center.
3. Fake job offers and fake-check scams
Remote workers who look for new roles meet fake recruiters on job sites, social media, and text messages. The FTC says scammers advertise jobs the same way honest employers do.
- How it works: The “employer” sends a check for equipment, asks the new hire to deposit it, and requests part of the money back. The check is fake, and the bank later asks the worker to repay the full amount.
- Other forms: The FTC also lists reshipping jobs, fake mystery shopping, and placement services that charge fees in advance.
- Scale: The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center listed $362.9 million in employment scam losses for 2025.
- Warning signs: A fee for training or equipment, a check before any work begins, and a quick offer with high pay for little effort.
The FTC says no honest employer will send a check and then ask the worker to send part of it on. Remote hiring often happens by chat or video, so a nomad may not meet the employer in person. The company name, the recruiter, and the web address each need a separate check. Scammers advertise on job sites, so a listing on an established remote job board still needs the same checks.
What to do: The FTC advises searching the company name with the words scam, review, or complaint, and talking to someone trusted before accepting an offer. The FTC also says honest employers do not ask workers to pay for a job.
4. Fake clients on freelance platforms
Freelancers who work across borders often take on clients they do not meet in person. Upwork’s 2026 scam guide describes the patterns below.
- How it works: A “client” asks to move the chat to Telegram or WhatsApp before a contract exists. Others ask for a fee to apply, or send a check above the agreed price and ask for the extra money back.
- Red flags listed by Upwork: Unpaid test tasks before a contract, clients with unverified payment methods, and requests to buy gift cards or cryptocurrency.
- What is lost off the platform: Upwork says it cannot offer payment protection or help with invoice disputes for payments made outside the platform.
- Why the check works: Upwork explains that a fake check can take a day or two to be discovered, while a wire transfer is instant.
Upwork’s rules are one example. Other freelance platforms set their own payment protections, and reading them before the first contract is worthwhile. When a client pays directly, international payment platforms are one way to get paid across borders.
What to do: Keeping messages and payments on the platform keeps the protections in place. A funded contract should exist before work starts, and no “extra” money should go back to a client.
5. Look-alike visa and arrival-form sites
Some entry forms are free on a government site, yet look-alike sites charge for the same form.
- Thailand: The Ministry of Tourism and Sports said on 17 October 2025 that registration for the Thailand Digital Arrival Card is free. The ministry named tdac.immigration.go.th as the only official site. In March 2026, the Immigration Bureau said at least 10% of foreign arrivals had registered through fraudulent sites, and some of those sites charge fees.
- The data risk: The Immigration Bureau said details entered on fake sites do not reach the official system and may be misused. Some fake sites also collect information under the pretext of e-visa applications.
- Indonesia: The official e-visa site is evisa.imigrasi.go.id. The site takes payment by card or SIMPONI and links to the arrival card at allindonesia.imigrasi.go.id. Indonesian airport immigration officials warned about fake e-VOA sites in December 2022, according to Tempo. Older warnings name a different web address, so the current one is worth confirming on imigrasi.go.id.
- Warning signs: A fee for a form the government offers free is one sign. An address that does not end in .go.th or .go.id is another sign for these two countries.
A visa agent can be legitimate, but the agent’s service fee adds to the government fee, so the official application fees are worth checking first. Readers who are unsure which visa they need can start with the guide to a digital nomad visa vs tourist visa.
What to do: Reaching the form through the immigration authority’s own main site is the safer route. Thailand’s tourism ministry asks travelers to keep the web address and screenshots of a fake site. The ministry also asks for reports to the Cyber Police Hotline at 1441 or the Online Complaint Center at 1212.
6. Dynamic currency conversion at ATMs and card terminals
A card terminal or ATM abroad may offer to charge in the traveler’s home currency. The offer is called dynamic currency conversion, or DCC. DCC is legal when disclosed, and some travelers accept the offer without comparing the rate.
- How it works: Visa says the merchant or ATM converts the amount into the cardholder’s home currency. The price includes an exchange rate and additional fees.
- What Visa requires: Screens and receipts must show the amount in both currencies, the exchange rate, and any markup. Merchants and ATMs must give a choice and must not choose for the cardholder.
- Visa’s advice: If the details are missing or the cardholder feels pressure, Visa recommends declining the conversion and reporting the incident to the card issuer.
- Other guidance: The UK Post Office travel money guide, updated in July 2026, says to choose the local currency at ATMs and shops.
Choosing cards with no foreign transaction fees can lower costs, yet a DCC offer adds its own exchange rate and fees at the terminal.
What to do: Choosing the local currency at the terminal avoids the DCC markup. Visa says declining DCC does not affect the ability to buy goods or withdraw cash abroad.
7. Romance scams that turn into investment advice
Nomads meet new people in each city, online and in person. Scammers use dating apps and social media to start friendships that later turn to money.
- How it works: The FTC says romance scammers build a relationship over time, then offer to help the target invest. The “investment” website looks real, and the victim either cannot withdraw money or can only withdraw by paying high fees.
- FTC data: In 2025, nearly 60% of people who reported losing money to a romance scam said it started on a social media platform. Romance scams that began there cost $298 million, and investment scams that began on social media cost $1.1 billion.
- FBI data: The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center listed $929 million in confidence and romance losses and $8.6 billion in investment losses for 2025.
- Warning signs: Quick declarations of love, a refusal to meet or video call, offers to teach crypto trading, and requests for money or crypto.
The FTC rule is to keep online dating and investment advice apart. In its words, a new contact who offers to show how to invest in crypto, or who asks for crypto, is a scammer. Many nomads live abroad too, so a match who is “overseas for work” may sound ordinary, and a refusal to video call carries more weight. General advice on meeting people while moving between cities is in the guide to dating as a digital nomad. For everyday crypto use, see the guide to crypto and stablecoins for payments.
What to do: A video call early on helps, and so does sending no money or crypto to anyone not met in person. A report to the dating platform and a national fraud agency also helps. US readers can report to ReportFraud.ftc.gov and ic3.gov.
8. Fake Wi-Fi hotspots in airports and cafes
Working from airports, cafes, and hotel lobbies means many workdays start on a public network.
- How it works: The attack is called an “evil twin.” An attacker creates a hotspot with the same name as a real network. Phones that remember the real network may connect on their own.
- What can follow: The Florida Attorney General warned in October 2024 that connected users can reach fake login pages, get spyware, or lose passwords.
- A reported case: The same warning pointed to an Australian man accused of setting up hotspots under airport network names to steal personal data.
- FTC advice: The FTC says public hotspots are often not secure. The agency suggests changing phone settings so the device does not connect to nearby networks automatically, and using a VPN for regular hotspot use.
A phone hotspot from the traveler’s own data plan avoids the question of which network name is real. Settings and habits are covered in the guide to cybersecurity tips for public Wi-Fi, and the best VPN for digital nomads guide compares VPN options.
What to do: Asking staff for the exact network name helps avoid copycat names. Turning off automatic Wi-Fi connection and skipping sensitive logins on open networks lowers the risk further.
9. Online courses that promise a nomad income
Social media ads and webinars sell courses and coaching that promise income on the road.
- How it works: The FTC says promoters claim big earnings with little experience and sell a “proven system.” More paid services follow after the first purchase.
- FTC warning signs: Promises of guaranteed income, made-up success numbers, pressure to decide quickly, and requests to pay more for added help.
- Social media link: The FTC reports that many investment scams on social media began with an ad or post offering a program to teach investing.
- Credentials: The FTC says no license is required to become a business coach, and scammers often lie about credentials.
Real earnings vary widely with the type of work and the region. For a realistic comparison, see the guide to what digital nomads actually earn by region.
What to do: The FTC suggests searching the company name with the words scam, review, or complaint. The FTC also suggests asking what would be sold, how income would be generated, what the expenses would be, and when a profit could be expected.
What to do after paying a scammer
The FTC says to contact the company used to send the money right away. The advice applies to payments made by card, payment app, wire transfer, gift card, or cryptocurrency. The next step is to report the fraud and ask for the transaction to be reversed, if possible. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center says it can alert financial institutions about fraudulent transactions. Funds can be frozen when its reporting criteria are met. Keeping emails, receipts, and screenshots helps with any report. The information here is general and is not legal or financial advice, and scam patterns change over time.
Plan the next move with fewer surprises
Many of these scams rely on speed and distance, so a nomad who verifies each step lowers the risk. Once the rental, the entry form, and the payment checks are done, the flight is the straightforward part. Search flights to your next base on FlyBibe and filter by what matters for remote work, such as visa rules and cost.