Contents
- The most common scams
- What fake links look like
- Which protection for which server
- 1. Check your Discord settings
- 2. Turn on phishing protection in Lizbot
- 3. Filter links and invites selectively
- 4. Turn on scam phrases in the word filter
- 5. Set up the AI scam shield (Pro)
- 6. Educate your members
- When an account has been hijacked
- Checklist
- Common mistakes
- FAQ
Almost every larger server goes through it at some point: a member suddenly posts "Free Nitro for everyone" with a link, or someone gets a DM from a supposed moderator who urgently needs their password. Behind a scam like this there is usually a hijacked account that is now spreading it further. Anyone who falls for it often loses their account, game inventories or real money.
You cannot prevent every scam, but you can make life very hard for scammers. In this guide you learn the most common scams, see how to recognise fake links, and set up protection in Discord and in Lizbot. At the end you find out how to educate your members, because the best technology helps little if someone still opens the link from a DM.
The most common scams
Fake Nitro and gifts
The classic: "Discord is giving away 3 months of Nitro" or "I've got a spare Steam gift, want it?". The link leads to a copied login page. Whoever enters their username and password there hands both straight to the scammers. Real Nitro gifts appear in Discord as their own gift card in the chat, not as a link to some other website.
Giveaways and crypto bait
"You won, just connect your wallet quickly" or "New game in testing, download the beta". The download often hides malware that reads saved logins from the browser and the Discord token. With that, the attacker does not even need your password.
QR code login
Particularly nasty: someone sends you a QR code, supposedly for a verification or a giveaway. In reality it is Discord's login code. Whoever scans it with the Discord app logs the scammer into their own account. Rule of thumb: only scan a QR code in the Discord app when you are logging in yourself on your own computer right now.
Fake Discord staff and fake mods
"This is the Discord team. Your account was reported by mistake and will be banned. Message moderator XY, they will sort it out." This scam relies on pressure and urgency. The supposed moderator then asks for login details, a QR scan or a payment. Good to know: Discord staff do not contact you through a friend request or a normal DM, and no real moderator ever needs your password. Official messages from Discord are clearly marked as system messages in the client.
One variant targets your team: someone poses as staff of a bot provider or a partner community and asks an admin to "quickly authorise a bot". Behind it is an application that wants permissions on your server.
Two more scams have their own guides, hacked accounts that spam images into every channel, and abused webhooks that get scam links into your server without any member account.
FAQ
Can Lizbot block scam DMs sent to my members?
No. No bot can see direct messages between members. Lizbot protects your server's channels. Against DM scams, education through a welcome DM and a sticky message helps, as does the privacy setting that turns off DMs from server members.
Is the phishing protection free?
Yes. Phishing protection with scam lists and lookalike detection, link and invite filters, the word filter and the welcome DM are included in the Free plan. The AI scam shield needs Pro, the general AI review of messages needs Studio.
How do I recognise a real message from Discord?
Official messages are marked in the client as system messages from Discord. Discord never asks you for your password, a code or a QR scan by DM. If in doubt, check the advice on support.discord.com.
Matching Lizbot features
- Moderation and AutoMod for DiscordEvery warning, timeout and ban gets a case number and a reason. Your team sees at a glance what has already happened with a member.
- Verification bot for Discord with captchaNew members first only see the verification channel. They get access with a button, on a web page with a captcha or with a code by email.
- Welcome messages and autorole for DiscordLizbot greets new members in a channel and by DM, assigns starter roles automatically and says goodbye to those who leave. With placeholders, embeds and several languages.
More guides
Let Liz handle it for you
Invite Lizbot, set it up in the dashboard, done. The Free plan stays free.
Rather ask first? In the support Discord