Jim Winsett of the BBB. Top scams in 2016
1. Tax scams (IRS and CRA), 7,530 reports2. Debt collections, 2,456 reports3. Sweepstakes/prizes/gifts, 2,102 reports4. Online purchases, 1,891 reports5. Employment, 1,733 reports6. Government grant, 1,453 reports7. Tech support, 1,382 reports8. Advance fee loan, 965 reports9. Fake check/money order, 872 reports10. Phishing, 775 reportsSource: Better Business Bureau in Chattanooga
Q. What were the most active scams reported to BBB in 2016?
A. Reports to BBB Scam Tracker in 2016 confirmed that tax scams are still the top scam, despite a large drop in reports after a September police raid in Mumbai, India. The list was compiled based on more than 30,000 scam reports filed by consumers on bbb.org/scamtracker, a free, interactive online tool launched last year by the BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust. Not all of those consumers lost money, as many recognized the scam before being victimized but reported it anyway to help warn others.
The top three scams on the 2016 list – tax scams, debt collection scams, and sweepstakes/prizes/gifts scams – were the same as in 2015. New to the top 10 are online purchase scams (No. 4) and phishing scams (No. 10). Online purchase scams were common in 2015 as well, but this scam type was not added as a BBB Scam Tracker category until 2016. Employment scams (No. 5) are also new to the top 10, but only because work-from-home scams, previously a separate category, were included. Another change was the drop of tech support scams from No. 4 last year to No. 7 this year.
There are thousands of new scams every year, and you can’t keep up with all of them (we know, we try!). But if you can just remember these 10 things, you can avoid most scams and help protect yourself and your family.