Scams & Fraud

Según la Comisión Federal de Comercio, los consumidores informaron haber perdido $2,600 millones debido a estafas de impostores en el 2022. Una de las estafas de impostores más antiguas está relacionada con el IRS, por lo que la temporada de impuestos es un buen momento para enfocarnos en ella.

Ya hay cifras y el 2022 fue terrible. Si bien el total de las estafas denunciadas a la Comisión Federal de Comercio tuvo una reducción de 1 millón, la cantidad total perdida a causa de ellas aumentó en $2,000 millones, lo que equivale a un total de $8,800 millones perdidos a causa de estafas y fraudes. Y esto es solo lo que se ha denunciado; sabemos que la inmensa mayoría de los fraudes no se reportan. Los aumentos drásticos de los fraudes de inversión y las estafas que piden criptomonedas como forma de pago impulsaron el incremento.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, consumers reported losing $2.6 billion to impostor scams in 2022. One of the longest running impostor scams involves the IRS, so tax time is a good time to draw attention to it.

The numbers are in and 2022 was a doozy. While total reported scams to the Federal Trade Commission dropped by 1 million, the total reported amount lost grew by $2 billion for a total of $8.8 billion lost to scams and fraud. And this is just what’s reported – we know fraud is severely under-reported. Fueling the growth were dramatic increases in investment schemes and scams asking for cryptocurrency as a form of payment.

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares (R) says the “explosion of scams” has prompted the state to ramp up its fraud-prevention education efforts.

For many fraud victims, the financial toll is only part of the story; nearly two in three victims suffer a significant health or emotional impact, according to research by the FINRA Investor Education Foundation.

This year Social Security payments are being boosted by the biggest cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in more than 40 years, and beneficiaries aren’t the only ones looking to cash in. Social Security impostor scams are among the most reported scams each year and criminals are already seeking to use the COLA boost to their advantage.

It’s National Consumer Protection Week —and while AARP is focused on protecting consumers year-round – this is a good time to highlight some key consumer protection tips.

Banking has changed quite a bit thanks to the internet. While many people still prefer the brick and mortar experience when dealing with their money, today you can do many of the same functions online and over the phone. Criminals are cashing in on these remote transactions by impersonating banks.

Just like the Groundhog says, winter isn’t going away anytime soon. That fact has many of us looking for a warm getaway this spring, but beware: scammers could be lurking on the other end of that sweetheart spring break deal. These three tips will help you spot a potential travel scam.