Almost everyone has experienced an unexpected text, email, phone call or even a pop-up ad from someone pretending to be representing a government agency.
BBB Scam Tracker reports show Government Agency Impostor scams are not only hitting individuals but also the second-most reported scams by businesses in 2021 and are even increasing this year.
The influx of these types of calls seems relentless because scammers are not impacted in any way by the “Do not call” regulations designed for legitimate phone solicitations. Their goal is to trick victims into thinking they have issues with their Social Security, Unemployment, Medicare, Internal Revenue Service, the Attorney General’s office and others. Even legitimate businesses like Amazon, UPS, FedEx and banks also deal with similar fake announcements to would-be victims.
The good news is case reports of money loss incidents have slowed since peaking in early 2021. With increased public awareness, new research by Better Business Bureau reflects that more and more people recognize these calls are scams.
The bad news is that people are now suffering almost double the money lost when they fall victim, and fraudsters are still striking thousands of people.
Also, for grant seekers, the BBB Scam Tracker data showed victims of government grant scams lost more money in 2021. The median loss rose from $800 to $1,000, making it one of the most expensive and eighth riskiest…
