HASTINGS, Neb. (Press Release) – For the third consecutive year, online purchase scams were the most reported scam type to the Better Business Bureau Serving Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas Plains & Southwest Iowa. Online purchase scams were considered the riskiest scam type for all consumers nationwide, according to the 2021 BBB Scam Tracker Risk Report, which found that nearly three-fourths of reports involving the scam type involved a monetary loss.
In Nebraska, online purchase scams accounted for 42% of all scam reports in 2022, up from 39% a year ago. Employment scams (8%) and phishing scams (7%) rounded out the top three.
Third-party payment methods were the most frequent mode of payment requested by scammers targeting Nebraskans (39%), followed credit cards (29%) and bank account debits (19%).
Nearly one-fifth of scams reports filed by Nebraskans indicated the scam occurred on a website, according to BBB Scam Tracker, followed by phone (17%), social media (16%) and email (15%).
In total, hundreds of reports involving more than $100,000 in monetary losses were reported to BBB Scam Tracker in 2022. These totals are conservative since the majority of scams go unreported.
There are thousands of new scams every year. Each has its own wrinkles to consider. However, the BBB provides these 10 tips which can prevent most scams as the calendar moves to 2023.
1. Never send money via gift card or wire transfer to someone you have never met face-to-face. If they ask you to use a wire…
