Across many countries, online fraud has emerged as a major problem, affecting millions of people through a wide diversity of schemes that are carried out online in whole or in part. The article seeks to describe how extensive this issue is and to outline its basic characteristics. Rather than focusing solely on numbers, it frames the problem in terms of its reach and the varied forms in which fraud occurs, emphasizing the complexity of online deception in current contexts. The analysis is built on qualitative data drawn from multiple sources, including in-depth interviews with fifteen victims of online fraud, six focus groups that involve an additional forty-eight victims, and interviews with nine professional stakeholders who are actively engaged in countering the problem. This combination of perspectives aims to illuminate both the experiences of those affected and the professional understanding of the phenomenon, providing insight into how fraud operates and is responded to in practice. The study investigates why people succumb to online scams. It identifies a spectrum of contributing factors, reflecting both the nature of the frauds themselves and the methods used by perpetrators. Notable elements include the diversity of fraudulent schemes and