HONOLULU (KHON2) — The BBB released their annual scam tracker risk report last week, and it comes with some bad news.
Overall median losses rose from $115 to $169 in a year, while online purchasing remains the #1 type of scam.
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According to the BBB, online purchasing scams were able to steal money from almost three in every four people who’re targeted in 2021. Officials warn, they’re here to stay.
“It’s a big scam,” said Roseann Freitas of the Better Business Bureau. “it’s not going away because the pandemic changed the way we shop. Those who had not shopped online before are now doing that. They’re so successful because we think sometimes when we’re shopping online that that’s a legitimate website and we go ahead and order it. Actually, it’s an impersonated website.”
Impersonators are known to pose as government agencies, like the irs or social security administration. But in 2021, amazon took the spot as the most-impersonated brand.
“Doesn’t come as a surprise,” said Freitas. “Lots of shopping happening on Amazon. So that is where the scammers are going to live. So that’s why it’s always important. Going directly to your browser and pulling amazon up that way.”
Here’s a list of the BBB’s top five riskiest scams in 2021. They each come with their own tricks to get your hard-earned cash, but ther’re a few tips that ring true across…
