Internet Scams Have Cost West PA Residents Nearly $1M This Year: FBI

PITTSBURGH, PA — The amount of money lost by Western Pennsylvania residents falling victims to online scams this year is approaching $1 million, according to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center. That amount already has surpassed the $848,000 residents in the region lost in all of 2021.

With Internet shopping on the rise as Christmas approaches, bureau officials are warning people to be on the lookout for potential scams. The two most prevalent of these holiday scams are non-delivery and non-payment crimes.

In a non-delivery scam, a buyer pays for goods or services they find online, but those items are never received. Conversely, a non-payment scam involves goods or services being shipped, but the seller is never paid.

Nationally, for non-payment/non-delivery scams, the FBI through October received more than 44,220 complaints with losses over $276 million.

“Make sure you do your homework when you’re shopping this year,” FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Mike Nordwall said.

“In general, the types of scams we see do not change significantly. However, the techniques the scammers use and the methods of deploying these scams do change. By following a few simple tips and remaining vigilant, you can protect your information, your hard-earned money and enjoy a scam-free holiday season.”

Common online shopping scams include:

• Scammers offering too-good-to-be-true deals via phishing e-mails or advertisements. Such schemes may offer brand-name merchandise at extremely low prices or offer gift cards as an incentive. Other sites may offer products at a great price, but the products being sold are not the same as the products advertised.
• Untrustworthy sites or ads offering items at unrealistic discounts or with special coupons. The victims end up paying for an item, give away personal information and credit card details, then receive nothing in return except a compromised or stolen identity.

For additional FBI information on how to avoid scammers, click here.