Each year, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) analyzes Scam Tracker data submitted by consumers to appraise which scams were the biggest threat to communities. BBB data found that 2021 was the year of the online purchase scam in the Lincoln metro area.
The BBB looked specifically at the postal codes found in Lincoln and calculated that more than 43% of reported scams to the BBB Scam Tracker involved shopping online. This mirrored nationwide trends; consumers likely spent more time and money online in 2021 than ever before.
Online purchase scams are the riskiest scam type, according to the latest BBB Scam Tracker Risk Report, and are likely to continue to be in 2022. Supply chain concerns, microchip shortages and pandemic-fueled societal alterations have made online transactions more attractive than ever. Scammers are aware of the growing marketplace and will likely bolster their efforts to capitalize on the ever-increasing pool of money changing hands online.
But scams weren’t exclusive to online shopping in Lincoln. The BBB received reports of phishing scams, tech support scams, employment scams, health care scams, sweepstakes scams, fake invoice scams, cryptocurrency scams, travel scams, moving scams, counterfeit product scams, credit card scams and identity theft.
Phone and email ranked among the most common means of contact for scam perpetrators in 2021, followed by social media and text messaging. Credit cards were once again the most frequent payment targeted, but…
