MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) – The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning Mid-Southerners about a new scam that’s being seen across the country.
Scammers are disguising themselves a little differently than the usual suspects of the IRS or Social Security.
The cover that scammers are hiding under is the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the BBB says this is the first time they’ve seen a spike in these types of scams.
Already, we know two people have fallen victim here in Shelby County.
“A local, senior woman lost $1,000. A local Millington man… He lost… Well his identity was stolen,” said Daniel Irwin with BBB Mid-South.
Messages, primarily through texts and calls, have come in saying ‘you’re eligible for a payout or that you’ve won some sort of prize money’ from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
“It’s bogus from the get-go,” Irwin reassured.
And yet, according to Irwin, people like the two known Mid-South victims, who did not want to be identified, are losing money to this scam.
“They’re going to try to get you to pay an upfront fee,” said Irwin. “If you don’t want to pay the fee, they’ll probably try to get aggressive with you, and they’ll usually even threaten to investigate you. If you pay the money, they’ll keep coming back to you time and time again, wanting more money.”
Irwin says this isn’t how a federal agency reaches out to people.
Any form of outreach other than snail mail should send up red flags.
“It is possible…
