Better Business Bureau Of Minnesota And North Dakota Names Top 10 Scams Of 2017

The Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota (BBB) has released its list of the top ten scams of 2017. The list is based on local reports to BBB Scam Tracker during the year. Locally, BBB says they’ve received nearly 1,200 through Scam Tracker last year.

“We believe BBB Scam Tracker is an invaluable tool, for BBB, consumers and business owners,” said Susan Adams Loyd, President and CEO of BBB of Minnesota and North Dakota. “It helps us track the pulse of the marketplace and serves as both a reporting tool and an online tutorial on how various forms of fraud are perpetrated.”

The top rated scam of the year was the “Can You Hear Me?” calls which made the rounds in early 2017. People would receive calls and then an automated voice would say “Can you hear me?” It’s believed the goal was to get people to say “Yes” to possible serve as proof they had authorized a charge or agreed to some kind of offer. BBB believes calls like this could see another flare-up this year.

Online purchases were the 2^nd most reported scam of the year, with many reports having to do with purchases made on less than reputable websites or products received being different than what was advertised.

Here’s a look at the full list:

1. Phishing (Can you hear me?)
2. Online Purchases
3. Travel/Vacation offers
4. Tech support scams
5. Sweepstakes/Lottery/Prize offers
6. Employment schemes
7. Suspect debt collection calls
8. Unwanted credit card offers
9. Tax/IRS collection schemes
10. Counterfeit Products

The BBB scam tracker was launched in North America in 2015. Since that time it has received more than 93,000 reports of suspect offers, fraud, or attempted fraud. Scam Tracker also gives people the ability to see where scams are occurring locally and nationally. Reports that involve legitimate businesses are converted to complaints.