(UNDATED) – Employment scams were the riskiest scams in 2018, according to the latest report from the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Tech-Savvy Scammers Work to Con More Victims: 2018 BBB Scam Tracker Risk Report.
Employment scams had more instances and higher losses than in previous years when it ranked the third riskiest. The report is based on data supplied by consumers to BBB Scam Tracker and is based on the BBB Risk Index, a unique algorithm that calculates exposure, susceptibility, and monetary loss to offer a more accurate assessment of scam risk.
“This was a surprise,” said Melissa Lanning Trumpower, executive director of the BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust, which produced the report. “It’s the first time since we began this report three years ago that one scam dominated across so many demographic subgroups. It was the riskiest scam in three of the six age groups, and for both men and women. It was also the riskiest scam for military families and veterans, and students.”
Digging into the Risk Report shows one possible answer: Amazon was in the news a lot in 2018 with its high profile search for a second headquarters. It was also the 6th most impersonated organization mentioned in BBB Scam Tracker reports, after not even making the top 15 in previous years. In 2017, only 24 BBB Scam Tracker reports were employment scams that mentioned Amazon. In 2018, that jumped to 564.
“Scammers are opportunists,” says Trumpower. “Whatever is in the news or being talked about on social media, they see as an opening to imposter a recognizable and respected organization or brand.” The Internal Revenue Service is the leading impersonated organization, and other government agencies together rank second. Other leading brands that scammers impersonate include Publishers Clearing House, Microsoft, Apple… and the Better Business Bureau.
Amazon, a BBB Accredited Business, has only one authorized job application site: amazon.jobs. Any other link is a scam, said Trumpower.
“Employment scams are particularly egregious because they prey on people who are already feeling pinched and may be desperate for work,” said Tim Mansicalo, BBB Central Indiana President and CEO. “If the scam gets far enough, scammers collect the same information that real employers do – address, birth date, Social Security number, bank account – everything needed for identity theft.”
The ten riskiest scams of 2018 were: employment, online purchase, fake checks/money orders, home improvement, advance fee loans, romance, tech support, investment, travel/vacation, and government grants.
ABOUT BBB SERVING CENTRAL INDIANA: For more than 100 years, Better Business Bureau has been helping people find businesses, brands, and charities they can trust. In 2018, people turned to BBB more than 173 million times for BBB Business Profiles on more than 5.4 million businesses and Charity Reports on 11,000 charities, all available for free at bbb.org. There are local, independent BBBs across the United States, Canada and Mexico, including BBB serving Central Indiana, which was founded in 1916 and serves 46 counties.
ABOUT THE BBB INSTITUTE: BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust (BBB Institute) is the educational foundation of the Better Business Bureau. BBB Institute works with local, independent BBBs across North America to deliver educational programs that foster a trusted marketplace by: empowering consumers to take control of their purchasing decisions and avoid scams; helping businesses deliver excellent service with integrity and become integral stakeholders in their communities; and publishing research that provides critical insights for the average consumer and informs how we develop and deliver our programs. You can find more information about BBB Institute and its programs at BBBMarketplaceTrust.org.
