What Is a ReCAPTCHA Scam?

In 2025, phishing remains one of the most dangerous cyber threats, with an estimated 3.4 billion phishing emails sent every day (Source). Attackers are constantly refining their tactics, using visual deception to outsmart even cautious users.

One emerging tactic is the ReCAPTCHA scam—a method where cybercriminals replicate Google’s CAPTCHA interface to make phishing pages look legitimate. This technique exploits users’ trust in familiar visuals, making them more likely to share credentials or interact with malicious content.

In this blog, we’ll explore what a ReCAPTCHA scam is, how it works, why it’s so effective, and how you can protect your organization through targeted security training and phishing simulations.

What Is a ReCAPTCHA Scam?

A ReCAPTCHA scam is a phishing technique where cybercriminals mimic Google’s CAPTCHA interface—commonly seen as the “I’m not a robot” checkbox—to make fake websites appear legitimate. These deceptive CAPTCHAs are typically placed in front of phishing pages or malicious login forms to build a false sense of trust.

The goal is simple: trick users into believing they are on a secure website, so they proceed to enter their credentials or download harmful files. In reality, the CAPTCHA does nothing to protect the page—it’s a distraction designed to lower the user's guard.

ReCAPTCHA scams rely on visual deception and human behavior, making them effective even against users who are familiar with basic phishing tactics.

How Fake ReCAPTCHAs Trick Users

ReCAPTCHA scams follow a deceptive process designed to manipulate trust and steal information. Each step is carefully crafted to make the phishing page appear legitimate, encouraging the user to interact without suspicion. Here's how the scam typically unfolds:

Step 1: User Lands on a Fake Page

The scam starts when the user clicks a phishing link, often disguised as a legitimate source—such as a system alert, service update, or invoice notification. These links lead to a spoofed site that closely mimics the branding and design of popular platforms like Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace.

Step 2: A Fake CAPTCHA Appears

Instead of showing the login form directly, the fake site first displays a CAPTCHA interface that looks identical to Google’s. This CAPTCHA is not functional—it doesn’t verify anything—but it gives the user a false impression of added security.

Step 3: User Completes the CAPTCHA

The user interacts with the CAPTCHA by checking a box or selecting images, thinking it’s a normal verification step. This moment of engagement significantly lowers their suspicion and builds psychological trust in the page’s legitimacy.

Step 4: Hidden Activity Happens in the Background

While the user focuses on solving the CAPTCHA, the phishing site silently executes malicious scripts. These scripts may activate keyloggers, steal session cookies, or redirect the user to a fake login screen preloaded with tracking capabilities.

Step 5: User Proceeds to Enter Information

With trust already established, the user enters credentials, MFA codes, or other sensitive data without hesitation. This information is instantly captured and sent to the attacker, often giving them full access to business accounts or internal systems.

This layered approach makes ReCAPTCHA scams especially dangerous—they blend visual manipulation with back-end exploitation, making it hard for even experienced users to detect the threat.

Why ReCAPTCHA Scams Are So Effective

ReCAPTCHA scams are designed to manipulate how users think and act online. They don’t rely on technical complexity but on psychological familiarity and timing. This makes them especially dangerous because they feel legitimate at every step—until it's too late.

• They exploit visual trust: CAPTCHAs are seen as reliable security indicators. When users see them, they automatically assume the page is safe.
• They rely on routine behavior: Solving a CAPTCHA feels normal and harmless. This routine action lowers user vigilance at a crucial point.
• They create false legitimacy: Placing a CAPTCHA before a login form adds perceived credibility, making users more willing to enter sensitive data.
• They allow malicious activity to run undetected: The brief delay while solving the CAPTCHA gives attackers time to execute hidden scripts or redirect users stealthily.
• They deceive even trained users: The combination of familiar visuals, timing, and flow manipulates trust in a way that bypasses typical awareness defenses.

To better understand how scammers tap into human behavior to enhance their deception, explore the Keepnet article on Phishing Examples by Emotional Triggers: How Scammers Exploit Human Emotions. It offers valuable insights into the psychological tactics that make scams like fake CAPTCHAs so effective.

Training Your Team to Spot Fake CAPTCHAs

Employees are your first line of defense against visual scams like fake CAPTCHAs. Effective security training helps them recognize signs that something might be wrong. Here's how to prepare your team:

• Use simulation-based training: Include fake CAPTCHA scenarios in phishing tests so employees can learn what these scams look like in a safe environment.
• Emphasize URL inspection: Teach employees to always check the full website address, especially when a CAPTCHA appears before logging in or downloading anything.
• Promote a “pause and verify” habit: Encourage them to stop and think if something doesn’t feel right, even if the page looks familiar.
• Reinforce through repetition: Offer regular training sessions that update employees on the latest phishing tricks, including fake CAPTCHAs.
• Reward alert behavior: Recognize and support team members who report suspicious activity, helping to build a strong security culture.

With simple, repeated training, your team will be more confident in spotting and avoiding fake CAPTCHA scams.

Start to strengthen your team's awareness with Keepnet’s free security awareness training, focused on helping employees spot threats like fake CAPTCHAs.

Real Case: ClearFake Used Fake CAPTCHAs to Infect 9,300 Websites

In 2025, a global malware campaign named ClearFake compromised over 9,300 websites by embedding fake CAPTCHA challenges that mimicked Google’s ReCAPTCHA and Cloudflare’s Turnstile.

Visitors were shown a CAPTCHA screen and then prompted to run a PowerShell command, falsely labeled as a fix for a system issue. This technique—called ClickFix—led to the installation of info-stealing malware like Lumma Stealer and Vidar Stealer.

ClearFake also used blockchain technology to avoid detection, pulling malicious scripts from Binance Smart Chain contracts to fingerprint devices and deliver encrypted payloads. By faking trust through visuals and hiding its attack behind everyday web elements, ClearFake proved just how dangerous and deceptive phishing techniques have become. (Source)

How Keepnet Can Help You Stay Ahead of ReCAPTCHA Scams

Keepnet’s Extended Human Risk Management platform helps organizations defend against deceptive attacks like fake CAPTCHAs by combining adaptive simulations, targeted training, and fast response tools. Here's how:

• Simulate real attacks: Launch AI-driven phishing campaigns that include fake CAPTCHAs, QR codes, voice calls, and MFA traps.
• Customize training experiences: Use 6,000+ phishing templates and 80+ merge tags to create realistic, tailored scenarios.
• Boost awareness through micro-training: Trigger short, relevant lessons instantly after risky user actions.
• Deliver engaging education: Use story-based learning, gamification, posters, and videos to build lasting awareness.
• Train global teams: Access 2,100+ training materials in 36+ languages, tailored for diverse users.
• Respond faster: Identify and analyze email threats up to 48.6 times quicker with built-in incident response. With Keepnet, your team learns to recognize and respond to advanced deception tactics—like fake CAPTCHAs—before they become costly breaches.

Further Reading

• How to Run Phishing Simulations: A Step-by-Step Guide: Learn how to design and execute phishing simulations, including scenarios that mimic fake CAPTCHAs, to test and improve your team's resilience against social engineering attacks.
• The Role of Adaptive Phishing Simulations in Building a Secure Culture: Discover how adaptive phishing simulations can personalize training experiences, helping employees recognize and respond to evolving threats like deceptive CAPTCHA scams.
• What Is Security Awareness? Importance, Benefits & Training Explained: Understand the significance of security awareness training in empowering employees to identify and avoid sophisticated phishing tactics, including those involving fake CAPTCHAs.
• Using Real-World Breaches in Security Awareness Training: 2025 Playbook: Explore how incorporating real breach scenarios into training programs can enhance employee vigilance and preparedness against attacks that use familiar visuals like CAPTCHAs.
• 10 Phishing Simulation Templates You Can Try in 2025: Access a collection of phishing simulation templates, including those that replicate fake CAPTCHA challenges, to effectively train your team in recognizing and avoiding such scams.