How to Avoid Scam Messages on Stitch

Why messaging apps attract scams

Scammers move to wherever people already trust the medium, and a direct message from a "contact" or a group chat carries more built-in trust than an email or a cold call. That trust is exactly what scam messages exploit — a link that looks like it came from a friend, a "prize" that arrives in a group you already belong to, or a stranger who adds you and immediately starts a conversation that turns into a financial pitch.

None of this is unique to Stitch, but knowing the specific patterns and the specific tools Stitch gives you to respond makes the difference between a scam that goes nowhere and one that costs you money or personal information.

Common patterns to recognize

• Urgency: "act now," "your account will be suspended," "limited time" — designed to stop you from thinking it through.
• Too good to be true: unexpected prizes, investment "opportunities" with guaranteed returns, or a stranger offering money for a small task.
• A contact request from someone you do not recognize who moves quickly to a financial ask, a link, or a request to move the conversation to another app.
• Requests for verification codes, passwords, or payment details — no legitimate contact or Stitch process ever needs your password or a one-time code sent to you.
• Links with slightly wrong domains (a misspelled brand name, an unusual extension) disguised as a legitimate site.
• A "recruiter," romantic interest, or investment contact who has never met you but has an unusually polished, fast-moving pitch.

Before you click anything

Check the actual destination of a link, not just the text describing it — on most devices, holding down a link (or hovering on the web) shows the real URL before you open it. If the domain does not match the organization it claims to be from, do not open it.

If a message claims to be from someone you know but the tone, spelling, or requests feel off, verify through a separate channel — a phone call or a different app — before acting on anything it asks for. Compromised accounts frequently message contacts asking for money or codes.

What to do the moment you spot a scam

1. Do not click any link, reply with personal information, or send money or codes.
2. Open the sender's profile and block them — this immediately stops them from messaging you again or seeing your profile updates. See our guide on reporting and blocking for the exact steps.
3. Report the account from the same screen if the behavior violates Stitch's Community Guidelines, so it can be reviewed.
4. If the scam arrived in a group chat, warn the group so others do not fall for the same message, and consider muting or leaving the group if it keeps happening.
5. If you already shared sensitive information (a password, a code, payment details), change that password immediately and contact your bank or the relevant service if money or account access was involved.

Protecting your contacts from your own account

Scammers sometimes try to compromise an account and then message its real contacts, since a message from a genuine friend's account is far more convincing than a stranger's. The best defense on your side is a strong, unique password and being cautious about any request — even one that appears to come from Stitch itself — for your password or a verification code. See our guide on protecting your account for the specifics.

A quick reference

• Never send a password or verification code to anyone, including someone claiming to be Stitch support.
• Verify unexpected financial requests through a separate channel before acting.
• Check link destinations before tapping, especially anything urgent or too-good-to-be-true.
• Block first, report second — you do not need to debate with a scammer or wait for a reply.

Why engaging with a scammer rarely helps

It is tempting to reply to a scam message — to call it out, ask questions to confirm your suspicion, or simply vent frustration at whoever sent it. In practice this rarely accomplishes anything useful: a real scammer is unlikely to be embarrassed out of the attempt, and replying at all confirms to an automated or semi-automated scam operation that your account is active and reachable, which can result in more attempts rather than fewer. Blocking without a reply is not rude in this context — it is simply the more effective response, since there is no good-faith conversation to have with a scam attempt in the first place.

Scam patterns that specifically exploit group trust

A message forwarded by someone you know inside a group chat carries an unusual amount of borrowed trust — you are not evaluating the message on its own merits so much as trusting the person who shared it. Scammers rely on exactly this when a scam link or "opportunity" spreads through a group: by the time it reaches you, several people you trust may have already forwarded it without necessarily vetting it themselves, since they trusted the person before them in the same way. Breaking this chain simply requires treating a forwarded link with the same scrutiny you would give a message from a stranger, regardless of how many people in the group already passed it along.