CT Residents Were Scammed Out Of $70.5M In 2023; What Did We Do Wrong?

CONNECTICUT — With smartphones identifying "likely" fraudsters before you even pick up their calls, you would think society has scammers on the run. And you would be wrong.

Connecticut residents lost $70,579,861 to scammers in 2023 across 19,276 reports to the FTC, which equates to $1.9 million lost per 100,000 residents, according to a new study by QR code generator QRFY.

The study analyzed data from the Federal Trade Commission to discover the most and least defrauded states, as well as which categories of scams are most common in each state.

When it comes to being duped, Nutmeg State residents are just about in the middle of the pack nationwide. The QRFY analysis shows Connecticut to be the 25th most defrauded state in the US based on money lost relative to the state's population size.

What are we falling for? Identity theft, mostly. Nearly 30 percent of all scams flagged by Connecticut residents in 2023 involved someone trying — and often succeeding — to use their personal or financial information without permission.

Signs you may be a victim of ID theft include bills for items you did not purchase, letters stolen from your mailbox, or that sinking feeling you get when you stop receiving mail altogether.

Imposter scams were the second most common lure, according to the study. In these crimes, the villains trick their marks into sending them money, while claiming to be someone they are not. This type of scam can be carried out over the phone, via email or text. Typically, the criminal poses as a representative of a legitimate authority, such as a bank.

The third most common scam in Connecticut is a bit more subtle. These revolve around credit bureaus, information suppliers and report users who are fed bogus information about consumers. Scams in this category refer to false, inaccurate, or incomplete information reporting. Data suppliers have legal obligations and rules under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

The fourth most common scam impacting Connecticut residents and businesses is a true product of our social media age: negative reviews, and other online shopping-relating deceptions. These can include online ads that may appear to be from well-recognized brands, but were created instead by scammers interested only in ripping you off. Review fraud can include merchants posting fake positive reviews, suppressing honest negative reviews, and even paying for positive reviews.

The Office of Connecticut Attorney General William Tong offers a few suggestions on how Connecticut residents can avoid their most common scam nemesis, ID theft:

• "Never provide personal identifying information on an unsolicited phone call, or in a response to an email from a bank, friend or even family member without first contacting the source to confirm the email is legitimate and to find out why the person or bank needs the information. Do not automatically trust telephone numbers received through unsolicited emails or phone calls; instead independently identify the appropriate numbers.
• "Monitor your credit report: Federal law requires the three major credit reporting agencies to provide you with one free copy of your credit report each year. By periodically requesting your copy from these agencies, you can make sure no one is opening credit cards or taking out loans under your name.
• "Never post personal identifying information online unless you have a good reason and are confident that the website is safe and secure. Before you make a purchase online with a credit card, verify the identity, physical address and phone number of the seller in case issues arise with the sale. Look for symbols indicating that the website is safe and secure. Check for any complaints against the seller."

Already too late? Tong's Office recommends residents place a fraud alert and/or a more stringent "security freeze" on their credit report, post-scam. You should also file a police report with your local constabulary and, if your personal information was compromised online, file a report with the Internet Crime Complaint Center.