AI Companion Scam and Red-Flag Checklist
A polished page or warm conversation is not proof that a request is legitimate. The most important red flags are actions that move you away from normal account controls: sending money through an unrelated channel, sharing recovery codes, installing unknown software, or continuing under pressure. This checklist is educational and cannot confirm that a particular service is trustworthy.
Fast evidence screen
| Area | Useful current evidence | Reason to pause |
|---|---|---|
| Payment destination | Charges stay inside the provider's documented checkout | A person requests gift cards, transfer, crypto, or off-platform payment |
| Account access | Support uses normal verification and never needs your password | Someone asks for codes, secrets, or screen control |
| Claim evidence | Current policy or interface supports the statement | A screenshot or urgency replaces a verifiable source |
| Download safety | Files come from the provider's official current channel | You are told to bypass warnings or install remote tools |
Stop pressure before analysis
Question: Are you being pushed to act immediately, keep a secret, or ignore normal controls?
Action: End the interaction, preserve minimal evidence, and verify through a separately reached official channel. This action reduces guesswork; it does not prove anything beyond the current source and account state you actually observed.
Evidence: Sender address, time, request, and official support case; exclude unnecessary private conversation. Keep the access date and enough context to understand the wording later.
Worked example: A message claiming account loss within minutes is a reason to slow down, not speed up.
Pause when: Pressure continues after you ask to verify independently. A pause is a useful result when proceeding would require an assumption.
Verify the payment route
Question: Does the request match the checkout and billing channel already shown in your account?
Action: Navigate to the service independently rather than using a message link, then inspect billing there. This action reduces guesswork; it does not prove anything beyond the current source and account state you actually observed.
Evidence: The official account page and original receipt. Keep the access date and enough context to understand the wording later.
Worked example: A request for a gift card or direct transfer does not belong in a normal subscription renewal.
Pause when: Payment is requested through a personal account, unrelated domain, or irreversible channel. A pause is a useful result when proceeding would require an assumption.
Protect credentials and recovery
Question: Is anyone asking for a password, one-time code, full card number, or remote control?
Action: Refuse, end contact, change exposed credentials through the official account route, and review active sessions. This action reduces guesswork; it does not prove anything beyond the current source and account state you actually observed.
Evidence: A security-action record and official support case, never the secret itself. Keep the access date and enough context to understand the wording later.
Worked example: Real account recovery may ask you to enter a code into the official site; sending it to a person is different.
Pause when: The requester insists that sharing a code is required to protect or refund the account. A pause is a useful result when proceeding would require an assumption.
Check identity and domain
Question: Can you independently reach the same support route from the current account or policy page?
Action: Type the known service address yourself, compare domain spelling, and open support from inside the account. This action reduces guesswork; it does not prove anything beyond the current source and account state you actually observed.
Evidence: The official navigation path, case number, and complete sender domain. Keep the access date and enough context to understand the wording later.
Worked example: A look-alike domain can differ by one character while copying colors and logos.
Pause when: The message destination redirects repeatedly or asks you to disable browser protection. A pause is a useful result when proceeding would require an assumption.
Respond after a suspected scam
Question: What accounts or payment methods may be exposed?
Action: Secure email first, change reused passwords, end unknown sessions, contact the payment provider through its official route, and preserve evidence. This action reduces guesswork; it does not prove anything beyond the current source and account state you actually observed.
Evidence: A private incident timeline and official case references. Keep the access date and enough context to understand the wording later.
Worked example: If a recovery inbox is compromised, changing only the companion password may not restore control.
Pause when: Anyone offers recovery for another payment or asks you to install remote-access software. A pause is a useful result when proceeding would require an assumption.
Copyable checklist
Complete each line from the provider's current interface or published documents. A blank or unclear answer should remain visible in your notes.
- Pause whenever urgency or secrecy is used to force action.
- Open the service independently instead of following a message link.
- Keep payments inside the documented checkout and billing channel.
- Never share passwords, one-time codes, or full payment credentials.
- Do not install unknown files or remote-control tools.
- Compare the complete sender and destination domains carefully.
- Preserve minimal evidence without forwarding private conversations widely.
- Secure the recovery inbox and payment method after exposure.
Worked situations
Fake refund support
A message offers a refund but asks for a code, card details, or remote access. Stop. Open the provider and payment service independently, check whether a real case exists, and contact official support from the account rather than replying.
Record what the current source shows, keep personal details out of the worksheet, and mark unresolved questions rather than filling them with an assumption.
Companion asks for money elsewhere
Treat generated or person-like conversation as untrusted for payment instructions. Do not send money, gift cards, crypto, or credentials. Leave the conversation and use the provider's reporting route after checking what evidence it includes.
Record what the current source shows, keep personal details out of the worksheet, and mark unresolved questions rather than filling them with an assumption.
How to record a reliable answer
Use a dated worksheet with four columns: the question, the current source, the exact answer, and what remains unknown. Prefer a live detailed policy or account control over a promotional summary. Preserve enough surrounding wording to avoid changing the meaning, but cover names, addresses, payment values, conversation text, and other personal details. A screenshot records one interface at one moment; it is not proof that the same rule applies later, in another region, or to another account.
When two sources disagree, do not choose the answer you prefer. Record the conflict and ask the provider through a contact route reached from its current account, terms, or privacy page. Keep the case number and exact response. If the answer affects payment, an upload, account access, or sensitive disclosure, wait until the conflict is resolved or choose not to proceed. Unknown is a valid worksheet result.
A calm stop rule
Pause when a required term is missing, the final confirmation differs from the earlier page, a request moves outside the documented account route, or support asks for secrets that normal support should not need. Do not send passwords, one-time codes, full payment credentials, recovery secrets, or unrelated private conversation content. Do not install unknown software or grant remote control. Return through a known official address and verify the account state independently.
Related safety checklists
Frequently asked questions
Can an AI companion really need money?
A generated companion should not be treated as an independent person with financial needs. Use only the provider's documented checkout for service charges and reject off-platform requests.
How do I know support is real?
Reach support from the current account, terms, or privacy page you navigate to independently. Do not trust a sender name alone, and never share passwords or one-time codes.
What if I already paid?
Contact the payment provider through its official channel promptly, secure exposed accounts, preserve records, and follow its current dispute instructions. Do not pay a second party promising recovery.
Should I report the conversation?
Use the provider's current reporting route if appropriate, but inspect what data will be included first. Keep evidence limited to what is necessary.