Fighting Fraud
By Better Business Bureau Serving Greater Cleveland
In 2023, phishing scam reports to Better Business Bureaus® Scam TrackerSM nearly doubled, reaching a record high of over 9,000. There’s no end in sight as reports in 2024 indicate another record year is likely incoming. BBB detailed these scams and more in a new report entitled “BBB® Investigation: BBB tallies record number of reports as scammers adopt new technologies.” In this study, BBB examined patterns of reports, reviewed the amount of money lost, and shared stories from those caught up in the scams so the public could learn how to avoid them.
Phishing is a type of scam that targets victims by using communication that appears to be from a well-known source such as a bank, government agency, or large company. Phishing, despite being one of the oldest and most well-known scam techniques, remains successful, because of its adaptability to various forms of communication such as utilizing voicemail, email, and SMS text messages in addition to phone calls. Because phishing techniques change so often, it can be hard for the public and authorities to keep up with the ever-changing defenses needed.
Since 2021, reports to the Better Business Bureau show that scammers use phishing tactics in nearly every type of scam, including government impersonation, tech support, and cryptocurrency fraud. In more recent reports, they are increasingly turning to SMS-based versions of these scams, sending messages meant to trick the public into clicking on links that prompt them to share personal information or download malicious software.
Recently, a consumer from Strongsville told BBB she lost $520 in a phishing scam. The woman told BBB that she received a phone call from a person identifying themselves as Spectrum, the TV and internet service provider, and offered a discount on the monthly rate. The imposter had information about the woman’s Spectrum account and asked her to purchase Target gift cards to receive a 50% discount on their monthly bill for 12 months. The woman bought the gift cards and provided the information on the back to the scammers. She was then texted and told that the gift cards did not go through, that “Target’s gift card system was down,” and to purchase more. The woman then realized she had been scammed and reported the experience to BBB. The woman then stated that the scammers continued to contact her, charged her Spectrum account, and became verbally abusive once she stopped providing gift card information. Spectrum has an alert on their website about this and other, similar phishing scams.
To protect consumers and their loved ones from phishing scams, BBB is providing the following tips to identify red flags. Consumers should be wary of communications from individuals and businesses who:
- Make claims about suspicious account activity or fraudulent logins
- Reach out about unexpected problems with an account
- Try to confirm financial information
- Request the listener to click a link to make a payment
- Offer government refunds
- Send unsolicited coupons
- Use a generic message paired with the logo of a well-known company
- Use typo-filled and urgent language
- Pretend to be a known authority figure requesting a business payment
Visit BBB.org to check out a business or register a complaint, BBB Scam TrackerSM to report a scam, and BBB.org/scamstudies for more on this and other scams. Have additional questions? Reach out to your BBB at 216.241.7678 or [email protected]. Have a scam to report? Report it to BBB.org/ScamTracker.
