Here's a look at the 10 most popular scams in the Rockford area in 2022
The annual Scam Tracker report from the Better Business Bureau of Chicago and northern Illinois has been completed. The results show that fraudsters keep coming up with various schemes and ways to entice all age groups to snare as victims.
Scammers have been notorious for taking advantage of current events and news. Unfortunately, the pandemic has been followed by a troubled economy, supply chain issues, and now a feared recession. This environment has allowed fraudsters to prey on people's emotions and find victims more easily.
So, what were the most popular scams around the area in 2022?
At the number one position for the third year in a row is the menacing problem of online purchase scams. The pandemic is a huge factor in the escalation of these scams to the top, where it has remained, as shopping on websites is still a convenient and common way to purchase.
Phishing scams continued to be the number two scam reported locally for the second year in a row. These scams not only flood consumers’ e-mail inboxes, they also are a dangerous weapon that Cyber Criminals use to infiltrate businesses.
At number three is counterfeit products, which moved up from the number four position last year. Many fake websites are popping up, especially on social media, and consumers report paying for items they never receive, or cheap knock-off merchandise is delivered.
Employment scams remain high on the list at number four. Experts are predicting, with remote working and more layoffs in the news, this scam could be even more significant in 2023.
A new entry to this year’s top 10 list landing at number five is advance fee loan scams. The scam has been on the list in the past and is most likely returning due to inflation and a tough economy. More people are looking for loans and find solicitations in their email, text, and pop-up ads with enticing offers, which often lead to scams.
After missing last year’s list, COVID-related scams reappeared in 2022 in the number six position. This new massive nationwide wave of scams was mostly related to complaints regarding coronavirus testing pop-up site clinics.
Sweepstakes and lottery scams come in at number seven. The first major lottery prize in 2022 of over 1 billion dollars only encouraged scammers to prey on victims' hopes and dreams as they continue to cause heavy losses.
Credit card scams came in as the eighth most popular scam last year while home improvement scams were the ninth most common. Identity theft scams finished tenth in the area.
Tech support, cryptocurrency, fake invoices and debt collection scams all fell out of the top 10.
It should be noted that there is catch-all category called “other,” which contains a garden variety of scams. Many hot topics in this category include a wide range of issues, from romance and pet/puppy scams to airline issues, concert tickets, legal services, maintenance issues, and social media marketplace issues.
Always a top online shopping category is pet/puppy scams which have increased in money loss. According to a new BBB study release, victims in these types of scams suffered an average loss of more than $600.
Dennis Horton is director of the Rockford Regional Office of the Better Business Bureau, which serves Winnebago, Boone and Stephenson counties among others in northern Illinois.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Here are the 10 most popular scams in the Rockford area in 2022
