What it is
Scamdetectr is a public, moderated directory of phone numbers, email addresses and web addresses that have been reported in scam and spam complaints. Its motto is simple: Pause, Check, Protect yourself.
On 29 October 2026 the live site listed 8,932,299 reported records: 5,886,946 phones, 1,187,138 emails and 1,858,215 URLs and domains. It's search-first. You look up the contact that got in touch with you, rather than browsing a dump of every record.
Who it's for
Anyone who gets an unexpected call, text, email or link that feels wrong, and wants to check it before they reply, pay or share anything.
What it does
- Search the directoryLook up an exact phone number, email or domain, or a tactic such as phishing or impersonation.
- Sources on every recordEach listing links to the public reports behind it, with dates and careful reported or alleged wording.
- Report a scamSend in what happened. It goes to a moderated queue and is never published automatically.
- Scam awareness guidesShort guides to phone scams, phishing emails and fake websites, plus how to spot a scam.
- UK helpWhere to go next: Action Fraud, 7726, your bank, TPS, Citizens Advice and Take Five.
- CountriesLive counts of reported identifiers by country.
Why I built it
Scams work by rushing you. I wanted somewhere calm to check a number or an address before acting on it, built on evidence rather than rumour. Every published record links back to its public sources and dates, and uses "reported" or "alleged" language, because a listing is a signal, not a verdict.
The site is just as clear about its limits: caller ID, email addresses and links can be spoofed, phone numbers get recycled, and a contact that isn't listed isn't proof it's safe. It never publishes victims' names, addresses or account details.
How it's built
The records live in a canonical dataset where every row cites at least one public source URL and a report date, gathered from consumer agencies, scam-report sites, news and official takedowns. Python scripts import that dataset into a Kirby 5 site running on PHP 8.3 on SiteGround.
Public reports come in through a form with a honeypot for spam. Each one lands as a draft in a moderation queue and is never published automatically. It's only listed after editorial review against a public source.
Where it is now
Live. It started on 8 September 2026 with 34 sourced records and has grown in regular batches since. The about page was last reviewed on 29 October 2026.