Fighting Fraud

Better Business Bureau® Serving Greater Cleveland (BBB®) has announced the Top Ten Scams of 2023 affecting five Northeast Ohio counties. Steady inflation and the changing job market have contributed to how scammers chose to target their victims last year. Don't let the scammers get away with it in 2024. ...

If you review your credit card statement and notice charitable donations that you don’t remember making, it’s not a memory lapse; you were a victim of credit card fraud. These unauthorized charity charges may be part of a bigger con, which started when scammers got your credit card information. Scammers often use charity websites to test the stolen numbers. ...

A 'Secret Santa' gift exchange among online 'friends' you don't really know may not be as innocent as you think. These gift exchanges may look like harmless fun but are actually illegal pyramid schemes. Don't get buried under one. ...

During this season of open enrollment for Medicare, Medicaid and other marketplace healthcare plans offered under the Affordable Care Act, fraudsters marketing themselves as healthcare plan providers will often take advantage of the confusion surrounding government and private plans. Better Business Bureau Serving Greater Cleveland is providing tips to help prevent open enrollment scams. ...

Some good news this time: While utility scams are common in the months leading to winter, the recent correspondence from Ohio Electricity Litigation is not. These recent mailings from Ohio Electricity Litigation and Tremendous are a rare example of a legitimate utility-related solicitation. The average settlement is about $15. Distribution of funds is taking the form of physical checks, debit cards and digital payments. ...

When you see a "Going Out of Business" liquidation sale online, it could be an imposter scammer posing as a trusted store company. ...

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government and private insurance providers eased requirements for telehealth providers so consumers could access medical care safely and remotely. As a result, spending on telehealthcare exploded throughout the healthcare industry. Now, charges from telehealth providers are being scrutinized. Healthcare fraud, including bogus telehealth invoicing and other false healthcare fraud schemes are coming to light, especially among Medicare beneficiaries. ...

Job hunters, be on the lookout for reshipping or “parcel mule” scams from two fulfillment services reportedly in the Cleveland area. In a parcel mule or reshipping scam, job seekers are “hired” by a company under the guise of performing warehousing, shipping or fulfillment duties which are actually just relabeling parcels shipped to the consumer’s residence to be forwarded to a new address. The high pay lures workers who later find themselves aiding scammers with money laundering and possibly other offenses. ...