George S. May Business Blog

The BBB’s Biggest Scams and Complaints of 2009

Wisconsin’s Better Business Bureau released a list of the top 10 consumer scams from 2009.
"While many of the scams on the list are perennial problems, some scams were distinct in 2009 because of the economic climate and scammers’ penchant for taking advantage of the top headlines," wrote Randall Hoth, Wisconsin BBB president/CEO

"Some scams plagued different parts of the country more than others. For example, in places particularly hit by the housing crisis, bogus offers for foreclosure rescue or debt assistance ran rampant."
Here’s the list of the top 10 scams from the BBB: – Source -

1. Acai Berry Supplements and Other Free Trial Offers – Online ads offer trial offers for everything from teeth whiteners, to Acai Berry supplements. The products are falsely claimed to be endorsed by such people as Oprah, Rachel ray, and Doctor Oz. Thousands of people reportedly complained about being charged hundreds of dollars each month.

2. Stimulus/Government Grant Scams – While the government was getting ready for a banker bailout scammers were preparing with fake consumer bailout websites. These scammers mislead consumers and small business owners into thinking they were entitled to government assistance, grants and loans.

3. Robocalls - Owning a cell phone or having their phone number on the do-not-call list did not help thousands of people across the US put a stop to harassing automated telemarketing calls in 2009. 
 

4. Lottery/Sweepstakes Scam – The victim gets a letter from the scammer pretending to be a lottery agent of some kind. The claim is that they won millions of the dollars, and the letter comes with a check that is a small portion of the winnings. To get the rest of the check the victim has to deposit the check (which is usually stolen) and wire back a lot of money for delivery, or tax fees.

5. Job Hunter Scams — Scams targeting job hunters vary and include attempts to gain access to personal information such as bank account or social security numbers and requirements to pay a fee in order to even be considered for the job.  Another common scam was reported to BBB by job hunters who were told by a prospective employer that they had to check their credit report before being considered for a job. The job offer is actually a marketing ploy for online credit monitoring that costs the victim every month until they cancel. 
 

6. Google Work from Home Scam – Countless Web sites cropped up in 2009 that claimed you could learn how to make money from home using Google or Twitter and offered a free trial of learning materials. The Web sites often included the Google or Twitter moniker and logo. As a result, many people who complained to BBB thought they were getting a job with Google or Twitter when in, fact, they were being lured into another misleading free-trial offer and were billed every month for the materials and other mystery charges that added up to hundreds of dollars.
 
7. Mortgage Foreclosure Rescue/Debt Assistance – Many families are struggling in the current economy and hucksters are offering to help them a bogus chance to save their home or get out of foreclosure.  Unfortunately, victims are paying hundreds of dollars up front for the assistance they desperately need but ultimately never receive.
 
8. Mystery Shopping – Consumers across the country thought that they could make some extra money by becoming a secret shopper and evaluating the customer service of various stores. The victim is asked to evaluate their shopping experience at a few stores as well as a money wiring service such as Western Union or MoneyGram by wiring money back to the scammers. A seemingly real looking check is supposed to cover the costs, but ends up being a fake. The victim is out hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.
 
9. Over-Payment Scams – Over-payment scams typically target small business owners, landlords or individuals with rooms to rent and sellers on classifieds or sites like Craigslist. Typically the scammer pretends to be a customer, possible renter or interested buyer, respectively. The victim receives a check for more than the amount requested. The scammers then ask the victim to deposit the check and wire the extra amount elsewhere, such as to a shipping company. Ultimately though, the check is fake and the victim is really wiring money back to the scammers.
 
10. Phishing e-mails/H1N1 spam – A perennial problem, phishing e-mails pop up in inboxes and can take various forms such as appearing to be from a business, a government agency or official or even a friend. Whatever the setup, the goal of any phishing e-mail is the same: to trick victims into divulging sensitive financial information or to infect the victim’s computer with viruses and malware. In addition to phishing e-mails, spam e-mail selling wares to prevent the spread of the H1N1 virus were particularly rampant in 2009.

Related posts:

1. 185,000 complaints later, rejected PPI customers may finally have their way Who ever said that complaining won’t get you anywhere? After nearly 200,000 complaints by customers who believe they were duped into buying faulty payment protection...


2. To satisfy complaints H&R Block will be refunding more than 19.4 million dollars in “Express Ira” fees Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo announced that a 19.4 million dollar settlement has been reached with H&R Block. The settlement would require the company to...


3. Comparing the 1929 collapse to the 2009 recession In the fall of 1929 the stock market just collapsed in on itself. Stock prices were pumped up to obscene levels, and they were purchased...


4. 2009 equals “worst year” for airlines Giovanni Bisignani, head of the International Air Transport Association, recently pointed out that 2009 saw the biggest fall off in air passenger traffic. “In terms of...


5. Toyota tops the list for most recalls in 2009 The Detroit Free Press reports that automakers had a mind-blowing 15.2 million vehicles recalled this year, nearly twice that of last year. Toyota had the...