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There’s an old saying that professes: You can never be too careful.
We were reminded about the importance of this advice after the Better Business Bureau of Cleveland released its list of Top 10 scams of 2023.
The list was compiled from reports submitted to BBB Scam Tracker by residents of Cuyahoga, Lake, Lorain, Geauga and Ashtabula counties.
The continued influences of steady inflation and the changing dynamics of the job market have played a large part in how scammers chose to target their victims in 2023.
It’s interesting to check out the various scams that earned places on the bureau’s Top 10 list:
• Phishing and online purchase scams took the top two spots for the third year in a row. Con artists continue to take advantage of the increasing numbers of online shoppers.
• Sweepstakes, lottery and prize scams landed the number three spot. Older consumers often are the victim of phony Publishers Clearinghouse and other bogus come-ons.
• Employment scams moved up to the number four position from last year. This is not surprising, since BBB has seen an increase in business imposters and employment scams offering cushy “work from home” opportunities. Scammers pose as long-established companies to offer tempting remote work opportunities.
Victims pay fees or are sent counterfeit checks to buy equipment needed for the position. The BBB also has seen many reports of “Parcel Mule,” or reshipping, scams in the area.
In this scam, consumers are unknowingly aiding money laundering operations by shipping packages. Both of these scams also put victims at risk for identity theft, since they also typically expose personally identifiable information, such as Social Security numbers and bank account numbers, to scammers.
• Tech Support Scams rose to the number five spot this year from number six in the previous year. This is consistent with other trends BBB has seen concerning consumers spending more time online.
• Government agency imposters moved up one spot to number seven. These perpetrators typically take the form of scammers impersonating Medicaid or the Internal Revenue Service.
But this year, BBB also has seen reports of government agency imposters using fake names such as the Financial Crime Network of the U.S. Treasury, the Corporate Transparency Division, United States Government Debt Relief and the United States Business Regulations Department.
In addition to the typical fake law enforcement agent and Medicare benefit calls consumers typically receive from scammers, they also have reported receiving calls concerning debt relief funds or “lost” sweepstakes winnings from government programs.
• Debt collections, bank/credit card company imposters and government grant imposters continued to secure places of the list of most popular scams.
The promise of free money, whether from a sweepstakes or grant, can be a motivating factor for consumers to disregard normal precautions they may take against scams.
• Advance fee loan scams came in 10th, which is a notable change from previous years’ statistics. They ranked 12th in 2022 and 15th place in 2021.
Consumers experiencing the financial crunch of inflation may be especially susceptible to fraud of this nature. That’s because debt relief — whether it be sweepstakes winnings, a grant, a government program, or a loan — would be a welcome respite from increasing credit card balances and interest payments.
The Better Business Bureau encourages consumers to learn how to recognize scams and avoid them by following these simple steps:
• Don’t believe everything you see. Scammers are professionals at mimicking official seals, fonts and other details. Just because a website, email or caller ID looks official, does not mean that it is.
• Never share personally identifiable information with someone who has contacted you unsolicited, whether it’s over the phone, by email, on social media, even at your front door. This includes banking and credit card information, your birthdate and Social Security numbers.
• Use secure and traceable transactions. Avoid paying by wire transfer, prepaid money card, gift card or other, nontraditional payment methods. Use your credit card whenever possible.
The News-Herald hopes that the BBB’s list will heighten awareness about these prevalent and potentially costly common scams. The agency’s tips for avoiding scams also are essential for people to remember, so they don’t fall victim to the ploys of con artists.
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