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BBB Ranks Most Reported Scams of June
BBB is warning consumers of the most common scams that have been reported across the United States.
Better Business Bureau Serving Eastern MA, ME, RI & VT (BBB) is warning consumers of the most common scams that have been reported across the United States using BBB’s Scam Tracker. Consumers have reported the unwanted activities of phony IRS calls, spam text messages, phishing emails and other scams over 1,592 times since February of this year.
Just last month, BBB received over 74 reports of the IRS scam, currently the most common type of scam. Sweepstakes and lottery scams were the second most reported scam seen in June, followed by tech support scams, debt relief and collection scams, and identity theft scams.
The most common type, the IRS scam, is typically carried out through unsolicited emails, text messages, or phone calls that request personal information, threaten penalties or jail time, or request advance fees.
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BBB recommends consumers who receive these emails or text messages not to open any attachments or click on any links as they could contain malware. The IRS will never initiate contact by email or text message. If you’re unsure whether a phone call or letter from the IRS is legitimate, you can call 800-829-1040 or email phishing@irs.gov.
“People need to be extremely cautious of these scams, as consumers across North America have been reporting the exact same scams,” said Paula Fleming, spokesperson for the local BBB. “The IRS scam is currently the most common scam circulating and BBB wants consumers to be aware that phony emails, texts or phone calls purportedly from the IRS are popping up all over the U.S.”
Find out what's happening in Actonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
To report a scam or find the most common scams in your area, go directly to BBB’s Scam Tracker tool at: bbb.org/scamtracker. For more information you can trust, visit us at bbb.org/boston.
ABOUT BBB: For more than 100 years, Better Business Bureau has been helping people find businesses and brands they can trust. In 2014, consumers turned to BBB more than 165 million times for BBB Business Reviews on more than 4.7 million businesses, all available for free at bbb.org. BBB Serving Eastern Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island and Vermont, founded in 1912, is one of 112 local, independent BBBs across North America.
Paula Fleming is VP of Communications & Marketing for Better Business Bureau Serving Eastern MA, ME, RI & VT. Find Paula on Google+.