The most common fraud of 2023? Online shopping scams.
That’s according to the Better Business Bureau of Chicago and Northern Illinois. Its list of the 10 top scams in Chicago and the rest of northern Illinois, for a fourth straight year, placed online purchases at No. 1, with fake websites being the top issue.
Steve Bernas, the BBB’s president and chief executive, said scammers were using the latest technologies including AI to fool people.
“It’s hard to keep up with these scams,” Bernas said. “They just keep coming in and adding new twists to them. In the old days, you’d have to climb a telephone pole to put up an advertisement at the end of the highway ... Now, you can reach millions of people in minutes, and that’s what the scammers do.”
One recent online purchase scam involved a Facebook account masquerading as O’Hare Airport’s “luggage department.” Its error-ridden ad said: “Get a suitcase with baggage for just 9,95$ Chicago O’Hare International Airport sale lost luggage that has been in store for more than 6 months. According to the regulations it has to be disposed, but we have decided to sell it for just 9,95$ each. To get all the details and participate, click on ‘Order’ button and take a moment to answer a few questions.”
O’Hare posted a statement on Facebook debunking the claims: “It’s not true, and you should always contact your air carrier with questions about misplaced luggage.”
Passengers with lost baggage can fill out a form on the federal Transportation Security Administration’s website.
Facebook said it took down the post and account.
Bernas encourages people to report such fraud to the BBB Scam Tracker to save others from being victimized.
“If it’s too good to be true, it probably is,” he said.
Phishing was the second-most common scam for the third year in a row. Phishing targets individuals and companies through email or text messages to try to get the victim to share personal and banking information. Clicking on hyperlinks in a phishing scam can also lead to malware being installed on your electronic device.
“It’s getting to a point where we’re telling consumers not to click on any link. Don’t answer your phone unless it’s in your contact list, let it go to voicemail,” Bernas said. “And if you think it’s your bank saying they need to call, call your bank or go to the bank’s website directly.”
Employment scams were No. 3 on the BBB’s list, with reports of fake job opportunities posted by scammers looking to steal someone’s identity or banking information.
The BBB urged consumers to take precautions like creating difficult passwords to protect against identity theft and using a credit card for online purchases.
“The only way to put scammers out of business is to not give them your business, but the only way to stay away from scams is become educated about them,” Bernas said.
The top 10 local scams of 2023 were:
- Online purchases
- Phishing
- Employment opportunities
- Counterfeit products
- Home improvement
- Health care/Medicare/Medicaid
- Advance fee loans
- Identity theft
- Tech support
- Debt collections
