Expert advice to avoid impersonation scams
The FTC reported over 330,000 complaints of imposter scams last year
(InvestigateTV) — The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says consumers lost over $1.1 billion to impersonation scams in 2023.
Melanie McGovern with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) said impersonation is a common scam.
She said fraudsters pretend to be businesses or government agencies to trick people out of their money and personal information.
“They’re gonna have you fill out a form, they’re gonna have you fill in your credit card,” McGovern explained. “So, it’s really important to make sure you’re checking those email addresses.”
The BBB suggests several ways to avoid falling victim to an impersonation scam:
Look closely at email addresses
If the email has a long string of characters or the address is unrecognizable, it is likely a scam.
Confirm suspicious emails with the company
Contact a business directly if you receive a questionable email.
Be wary of bills and invoice from unknown companies:
Never provide payment information to an entity with whom you have no business relationship.
The BBB also encourages those who receive suspicious emails or text to report them to the BBB Scam Tracker.
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