BBB of Eastern NC Names Top Scams of 2011

Jan. 5, 2012 - PRLog -- RALEIGH, N.C. (January 5, 2012) — Better Business Bureau serving Eastern North Carolina announces its list of the most prevalent fraud schemes of 2011:

Top Job Scam

BBB sees lots of secret shopper schemes, work-from-home scams and other phony job offers, but the worst job-related scam can dash your hopes and steal your identity. In this scam, e-mails, Web sites and online applications all look very professional, and the candidate even participates in a phone interview before receiving a job offer. In order to start the job, the candidate has to fill out a credit report or provide bank information for direct deposit of their paychecks. The online forms are nothing more than a way to capture sensitive personal data, such as Social Security and bank account numbers.

Top Sweepstakes and Lottery Scam

Sweepstakes and lottery scams come in a variety of forms, but the bottom line almost always is that the consumer has won a large sum of money and, in order to claim it, they have to pay a fee. This year’s top sweepstakes scam was undoubtedly the e-mail claiming to be from Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, announcing that the recipient was the winner of $1 million from the popular social networking site. These kinds of scams often use celebrities to make their offer seem more genuine. If you are not sure, do not click on any links or reply to the e-mail, but instead contact the company directly.

Top Social Media Scam

There are tons of ways to use social media for scams, but one this year stands out because it appears to be coming from a friend. Viral videos claiming to show everything from footage of Osama bin Laden’s death to the latest celebrity pranks have shown up on social media sites, often looking as if they have been shared by a friend. When consumers click on the link, they are prompted to upgrade their flash player, but the file they end up downloading contains a worm that logs into their social media account, sends similar messages to their friends, and searches for personal data.

Top Home Improvement Scam

Always near the top of BBB complaint data are home improvement contractors who often leave homes worse than they found them. Itinerant contractors move around, keeping a step ahead of the law. The worst are those who move in after a natural disaster, taking advantage of desperate homeowners who need immediate help and may not be as suspicious as they would be under normal circumstances.

Top Check Cashing Scam

Two legitimate companies, Craig’s List and Western Union, are used for an inordinate amount of check cashing scams. In this scam, the scammer contacts a seller on Craig’s List claiming they would like to make a purchase. They send the consumer a check for more than the amount they owe, and ask them to deposit it into their bank account and then send them the difference via Western Union. A deposited check takes a couple of days to clear and be returned, whereas wired money from the consumer is gone instantly.

Top Phishing Scam

Phishing is when a consumer receives a suspicious e-mail or phone call that is looking to obtain personal information. It is almost impossible to avoid them if you have a telephone or an e-mail account. The most pernicious phishing scam this year disguised itself as official communication from the National Automated Clearing House Association, which facilitates the secure transfer of billions of electronic transactions every year. The e-mail claims a transaction did not go through, with hopes that the consumer will react quickly and click on the link. The link will take the consumer to a fake banking site, where it will ask the consumer to verify their account information or it may download malware on to the consumer’s computer.

Top Identity Theft Scam

There is a multitude of ways to steal someone’s identity. This one has become so prevalent that many hotels are posting warnings about it in their lobbies. In this scam, the consumer receives a call in their hotel room in the middle of the night. The caller claims to be the front desk clerk, saying their computer has crashed and they need to get the consumer’s credit card number. Scam artists are counting on consumers being too sleepy to catch on that the call is not from the hotel at all, but from someone outside who knows the direct-dial numbers for the guest rooms.

Top Financial Scam

In challenging economic times, many people are looking for help getting out of debt or hanging on to their home, and scam artists are taking advantage of this. When the federal government announced or expanded several mortgage relief programs last year, many sound-alike Web sites popped up to try to fool consumers into parting with their money. Most ask for an upfront fee and almost all leave you in more debt than when you started.

For additional information on scams, visit bbb.org.   

About BBB serving Eastern North Carolina
Better Business Bureau serving Eastern North Carolina is a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit corporation serving 33 counties in eastern North Carolina. The organization is funded primarily by BBB Accredited Business fees from more than 3,000 local businesses and professional firms. BBB promotes integrity, consumer confidence and business ethics through business self-regulation in the local marketplace. Services provided by BBB include reports on companies and charitable organizations, general monitoring of advertising in the marketplace, consumer/business education programs and dispute resolution services. All services are provided at no cost to the public, with the occasional exception of mediation and arbitration. Visit bbb.org.