COLUMBUS, Ohio — Watch what you click and do your research. That’s the warning consumers are getting from the Better Business Bureau which said in a report that the riskiest scams reside online.
Consumer data reported to BBB Scam Tracker says 39.1% of all scams in 2022 fell under online purchase scams.
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Online scams can run the gamut. Consumers who reported being targeted were online for social media (25%), online shopping (24%), email (14%), search engines (10%) and job searching (7%).
Amazon, Geek Squad, Publishers Clearing House, the U.S. Postal Service and Norton were the five most impersonated companies, according to the BBB.
Employment scams nationally ranked at No. 2 in 2022, after being at No. 3 in 2021. In 2019, employment scams were the top category nationwide.
Cryptocurrency scams were No. 2 during the pandemic but dropped to No. 3 last year.
Here are the top scams by dollars lost in central Ohio:
Type (Cases Reporting) 2022 and 2021
- Cryptocurrency (10) $225,173 was reportedly lost in 2022 as compared to $33,540 in 2021
- Online Purchase (128) $34,360 in 2022, $43,311 in 2021
- Bank/Credit Imposter (14) $20,000 in 2022
- Employment (59) $19,033 was lost last year as compared to the previous year's $6,325
- Advance Fee Loan (26) $17, 845 in 2022, $4,000 in 2021
- Romance (13) $17,500 in 2022
- Government Grant (30) $3,850 in 2022, $18,650 in 2021
- Sweepstakes/Lottery (83) $3,465 in 2022, $12,434 in 2021
- Other (4) $2,200 in 2022
- Counterfeit Product (11) $1,986 in 2022, $7,475 in 2021