Online purchases, counterfeit products among 2020’s top scams
Scammers have been taking advantage of people during the pandemic as unemployment and online shopping increased.
CHICAGO (CBS) – If you were scammed in 2020 you are not alone. The Better Business Bureau of Chicago and Northern Illinois released last year’s scam report that highlighted the top 10 regional scams of the year.
Online purchase scams took the top spot, according to the BBB. This included fake websites leading to false purchases.
Among the top three were counterfeit products and employments scams. The BBB reported counterfeit scams were listed as No. 9 in 2019 and have since jumped to No. 2.
The most newsworthy scams of the year were COVID-related scams.
“While COVID-related scams we’re listed as No. 4, the number could be much higher since some COVID-19 related scams are contained in other multiple other categories including phishing, counterfeit product, employment, identity theft scams, and others,” The BBB reported.
Scammers have been taking advantage of people during the pandemic as unemployment and online shopping increased.
You can report scam incidents through the BBB Scamtracker.
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