There are 58 article(s) tagged Better Business Bureau Of The Mid-South:

• May 2021

  • Opinion: Scam calls and texts on the rise

    RoboKiller predicts that scammers will design even smarter, more believable phone scams in the future. Spam calls could reach 70 billion and texts 90 billion by the end of 2021.

    By Randy Hutchinson May 01, 2021

• April 2021

  • Opinion: The Nigerian prince scam has grown more sophisticated

    Nigerian letter scams now reap only $700,000 annually, but the same crooks get billions of dollars from more sophisticated scams: ‘That Nigerian prince has grown up, has gone to college, and has found a new, lucrative career,’ says an expert.

    By Randy Hutchinson April 10, 2021

• February 2021

  • Opinion: Beware of ever-evolving COVID scams

    The variety of COVID-19 scams we’ve seen since the beginning of the pandemic are overwhelming.

    By Randy Hutchinson February 09, 2021

• October 2020

  • Data breaches in 2020: up or down?

    Some of the biggest breaches include one at Marriott that affected over 5 million customers and one at Nintendo that compromised 300,000 user accounts. At least five state unemployment databases have been hacked.

    By Randy Hutchinson October 09, 2020

• August 2020

  • BBB: Don’t fall for a mortgage relief scam

    According to Black Knight, a mortgage technology and data provider, mortgage delinquencies almost doubled in April. That’s fodder for mortgage relief scammers.

    By Randy Hutchinson August 31, 2020

• July 2020

  • Cryptocurrency scams are on the rise

    Consumers who were exposed to a cryptocurrency scam were far more likely to fall for it and lost far more money than the average for all scams. The median loss in a cryptocurrency scam was $3,000 compared to $160 for all scams.

    By Randy Hutchinson July 08, 2020

• May 2020

  • Kids more vulnerable online during pandemic

    The FBI issued an alert warning that with schools closed and other activities curtailed, children spending more time at home and online are at greater risk.

    By Randy Hutchinson May 12, 2020

• April 2020

  • Seniors more vulnerable to scams during pandemic

    In today’s coronavirus crisis, crooks impersonating the government promise seniors government grants and stimulus payments in exchange for an upfront fee or confidential information they’ll use to commit identity theft.

    By Randy Hutchinson April 16, 2020

• March 2020

  • BBB: Here come the coronavirus scams

    In its first coronavirus-related fraud case, the Department of Justice shut down the website “coronavirusmedicalkit.com” that offered consumers a World Health Organization vaccine kit. There are currently no legitimate vaccines.

    By Randy Hutchinson March 26, 2020

  • Beware: Rental scams are rampant

    A BBB investigations specialist estimated that more than 5 million consumers have lost money to rental scams. The average loss reported was $996.

    By Randy Hutchinson March 07, 2020

• February 2020

  • Don’t let a bad vendor ruin your wedding

    There’s no second chance with a wedding, so brides and grooms and parents need to do their due diligence in choosing vendors.

    By Randy Hutchinson February 21, 2020

  • ‘Smishing’ fraud targets First Horizon customers

    The Better Business Bureau says a new smishing campaign is using bogus text messages to gain confidential information on First Horizon Bank customers.

    By The Daily Memphian Staff February 12, 2020

• January 2020

  • BBB: Scammers exploit Kobe Bryant’s death

    Fake videos of Bryant’s helicopter crash have already shown up on YouTube and other websites, although it’s not clear if they’re nefarious or just cruel hoaxes.

    By Randy Hutchinson January 31, 2020

  • Be sure Internet-connected security cameras are secure

    Four days after a DeSoto County couple installed a Ring system, their 8-year old daughter heard a man talking in her bedroom. The father disabled the system to stop the harassment and the couple is now dealing with their kids’ trauma.

    By Randy Hutchinson January 10, 2020

• October 2019

  • Report finds military consumers more at risk than others

    The top industry generating complaints from military consumers for six years in a row is new car dealers. Service members also encounter more struggles than the general public in home-related needs because they move, on average, every two to four years.

    By Randy Hutchinson October 15, 2019

• August 2019

  • Vet a crowdfunding campaign before contributing

    Crowdfunding platforms have rules for what kinds of projects can be posted on their website and vet them to some degree, but they don’t guarantee success. As with any new product, there are risks that include delays in completing a project or failure to bring a product to market at all.

    By Randy Hutchinson August 17, 2019

• July 2019

  • MLGW, BBB issue warnings about utility scam

    Scammers pretending to be from Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division are targeting people in the Memphis area and threatening to cut off their service.

    By The Daily Memphian Staff July 31, 2019

  • Ransomware can cripple organizations of all sizes

    In 2017, the largest simultaneous ransomware attack ever affected tens of thousands of organizations in 74 countries, including FedEx’ Memphis operations. Collierville's town computer system was the target of a ransomware attack in July.

    By Randy Hutchinson July 28, 2019

  • Use caution with timeshare relief companies

    People desperate to unload their timeshares are vulnerable to timeshare relief firms that offer to sell their property for an upfront fee. The firm collects the fee but never delivers the service.

    By Randy Hutchinson July 07, 2019

• June 2019

  • BBB: Get a home inspection

    Be present during the inspection, which can take two to five hours. Most home inspectors will be fine with you tagging along and asking questions. You’ll end up with a much better appreciation for the condition of the property, good or bad.

    By Randy Hutchinson June 04, 2019

• May 2019

  • Job scammers target Mid-South college students

    Southwest Tennessee Community College students among others who are getting scammed with phony job offers, according to the Better Business Bureau.

    By The Daily Memphian Staff May 21, 2019

  • FTC shuts down sham veteran and police charities

    The Disabled Police and Sheriffs Foundation received $10 million in donations over three years, but spent less than 6% of it to help officers and their families. A judgment of $9.9 million was imposed, but only $100,000 could be recovered. The American Veterans Foundation took in $3.5 million over three years but spent just $47,246 on care packages for service members. 

    By Randy Hutchinson May 16, 2019

• April 2019

  • FTC lands on company paying for fake positive reviews

    Some companies charged with false advertising by the Federal Trade Commission were accused of writing fake five-star reviews themselves.

    By Randy Hutchinson April 03, 2019

• February 2019

  • Consumers and businesses may have unclaimed property

    States hold billions of dollars in unclaimed property for both businesses and consumers. The Better Business Bureau has tips on how to locate and recover funds without falling victim to scams.

    By Randy Hutchinson February 09, 2019

• January 2019

  • FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule may help with buyer’s remorse

    The Better Business Bureau often receives complaints that make it clear the consumers didn’t realize they had the right to change their mind about a transaction. The merchant involved may have been blissfully, or willfully, ignorant of its obligation to inform the consumers of their rights and to provide the required form.

    By Randy Hutchinson January 30, 2019