RALEIGH, N.C. – Better Business Bureau Serving Eastern North Carolina has released its list of top scams reported during 2022. These scams were reported to BBB Scam Tracker in its service area throughout last year:
1. Online Purchasing Scams
Online purchasing scams were by far the most common scam in the area in 2022. These cons often involve purchases and sales on classifieds websites and other direct seller-to-buyer sites. Scammers may pretend to purchase an item only to send you a bogus check and ask you to refund the “accidental” overpayment. In other cases, the scammer will pretend to be a legitimate online seller but never deliver the goods.
487 people fell victim to an online purchasing scam last year. These include scams involving pet adoption, online shopping and social media advertising.
2. Employment Scams
These scammers advertise jobs on the web and social media, or reach out to those who have posted resumes on job boards. They also may involve reshipping goods purchased with stolen credit cards. Other common scams promise jobs but provide victims with counterfeit checks, asking them to send money to a supposed third party for equipment to perform the job.
173 instances of these scams were reported on Scam Tracker.
3. Phishing Scams
169 individuals in the BBB ENC service area fell victim to phishing scams in 2022. Always beware of any unsolicited or unexpected communications asking for personal information or…
