FAMILY/FRIEND
EMERGENCY
This scheme involves the impersonation of a friend or family member experiencing a
fabricated urgent or dire situation. The “loved one” invariably pleads for money to be sent
immediately. Aided by personal details typically found on social media, imposters can offer
very plausible stories to convince their targets. Read our family/friend emergency scam
prevention tips.
FOREIGN MONEY
EXCHANGE
The target receives an email from a foreign government’s official, member of royalty, or
a business owner offering a huge sum of money to help get money out of the scammer’s
country. The victim fronts costs for the transfer, believing they will be repaid. Read our
foreign money exchange scam prevention tips.
GOVERNMENT
AGENCY
IMPOSTER
Scammers pretend to be representatives of a U.S. or Canadian government agency such
as the IRS, the Canada Revenue Agency, the Social Security Administration, or a wide
range of others. In 2023, scammers pretended to be from the U.S. Postal Service.
GOVERNMENT
GRANT
Individuals are enticed by promises of free, guaranteed government grants requiring an
up-front “processing fee.” Other fees follow, but the promised grant never materializes.
Read our government grant scam prevention tips.
HEALTHCARE,
MEDICAID, AND
MEDICARE
The scammer seeks to obtain the insured’s health insurance, Medicaid, or Medicare
information to submit fraudulent medical charges or for purposes of identity theft.
Read our healthcare scam prevention tips.
HOME
IMPROVEMENT
Door-to-door solicitors offer quick, low-cost repairs and then either take payment without
returning, do shoddy work, or “find” issues that dramatically raise the price. These types of
schemes often occur after a major storm or natural disaster. Read our home improvement
scam prevention tips.
IDENTITY THEFT
Identity thieves use a victim’s personal information (e.g., SSN/SIN, bank account
information, and credit card numbers) to pose as that individual for their own gain. Using
the target’s identity, the thief may open a credit account, drain an existing account, file tax
returns, or obtain medical coverage. Read our identity theft scam prevention tips.
INVESTMENT/
CRYPTOCURRENCY
Investment scams take many forms, but all prey on the desire to make money without much
risk or initial funding. “Investors” are lured with false information and promises of large
returns with little or no risk. Read our investment scam prevention tips. Cryptocurrency
scams involve the purchase, trade, or storage of digital assets known as cryptocurrencies.
The situations often involve fraudulent Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs), a type of fundraising
mechanism in which a company issues its own cryptocurrency to raise capital. Investors
are scammed into paying money or trading their own digital assets even though the
scammer has no intention of building a company. Cryptocurrency scams also involve
scenarios in which investors store their cryptocurrencies with fraudulent exchanges.
Read the BBB study on crypto scams.
MOVING
These schemes involve rogue moving services offering discounted pricing to move
household items. The alleged movers may steal the items or hold them hostage from
the customer, demanding additional funds to deliver them to the new location.
Read our moving scam prevention tips.
ONLINE
PURCHASE
These scams typically involve the purchase of products and/or services where the
transaction occurs via a website or other online means. Scammers use technology to offer
attractive deals, but once the payment is made, no product or service is delivered. In some
cases, fraudsters send low-quality or counterfeit products. Read our online purchase
scam prevention tips.
PHISHING/
SOCIAL
ENGINEERING
In these schemes, scammers impersonate a trustworthy entity, such as a bank or
mortgage company, and employ communications to mislead recipients into providing
personal information that the scammer will use to gain access to bank accounts or steal
recipients’ identity. This type of scheme can also happen within the workplace as an email
coming from the CEO, accounting department, or other member of management seeking
personal information. Read our phishing scam prevention tips.
APPENDIX A: Glossary of scam types
43 BBB.org/ScamTracker | 2023 BBB SCAM TRACKER RISK REPORT