HONOLULU (KHON2) -- According to Better Business Bureau, over 68% of all scams reported last year occurred online. The non-profit organization said online scams are more likely to result in a reported monetary loss than scams attempted in person or via phone.
Cameron Nakashima from Better Business Bureau joined Wake Up 2Day on Wednesday morning with tips for shoppers.
"Scams are ever-evolving," Nakashima said. "At BBB, we see a new online scam every few months. Maybe it's a brand-new scam we’ve never heard of before, or, more often, it's a new spin on a scam we’ve seen a hundred times. In either case, if you spend time online or shop online, which we all do, making time to educate yourself on how to protect your money and personal information is more important now than it was even a year ago."
June is Internet Safety Month, and online scams have changed since last June.
"Overall, the percentage of online scam reports with a monetary loss rose by 27%. However, the reported median dollar loss fell by over 40%. This means more people are falling prey to scams but are losing less money per scam," Nakashima said. "Also, reports of scams encountered and participated in through social media rose 63.8% last year. And for the second year in a row, people ages 18-24 reported the highest median dollar loss of all age groups. This group is spending more time online, encountering more scams, and losing more money."
BBB offers these tips when hanging out or shopping online, especially on social media, to help you identify impersonator websites, impostor accounts, and other scams.
- Spelling errors, complicated navigation, or broken images or links
- Requests for personal data information like social security numbers or irrelevant financial details
- Unusual payment methods like wire transfers, cryptocurrency, or gift cards
Lastly, if something about a company’s website seems off to you, you can look them up on BBB.org to get more information about what companies are good and which ones have been reported for online scams.
