Inflation isn’t the only thing taking a toll on Idahoans’ wallets.
So are scammers.
Multiple reports show scams are on the rise both nationally and in the Gem State.
“Between January and Sept. 30 of this year, Idahoans have reported losing $20 million dollars to fraud,” said Rachelle Littau, consumer specialist with the Idaho Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division. “That’s 6,700 fraud reports.”
Littau said those are just the cases that are reported. Many people are embarrassed or ashamed to report being scammed so those numbers are likely much higher.
“So far for this year the top three scam categories are imposter scams – and that’s where a scammer pretends to be somebody you know or an organization you’ve heard of before,” Littau said. “Online scams are the second highest category of scams reported this year and then third biggest category so far this year have been those ‘you’ve won’ scams – whether it’s a prize, sweepstakes, lottery, that sort of thing.”
Data from the Federal Trade Commission shows a similar trend nationwide, reporting more than 234-thousand online-related scams so far in 2022.
And according to a new report from the Better Business Bureau, online scams have risen 87% since 2015 – the year the BBB Scam Tracker Tool was launched.
“Scammers meet us where we are and a lot us are online,” said Rebecca Barr, BBB…
