BBB reveals top scams of 2016

PITTSBURGH — The majority of the top scams that targeted businesses and consumers last year are recurring scams that continued to be successful in deceiving victims, according to the Better Business Bureau of Western Pennsylvania.

In 2016, more than 30,000 scam reports were filed on BBB Scam Tracker.

Tax scams were still the top scam of the year, both locally and nationally, despite a huge drop in reports after a police raid in Mumbai, India last fall.

The top three scams on the 2016 list – tax scams, debt collection scams, and sweepstakes/prizes/gifts scams – were the same as in 2015. New to the top 10 are online purchase scams (#4) and phishing scams (#10).

Here is the complete list:

1.    Tax scams

2.    Debt collection

3.    Sweepstakes

4.    Online purchase

5.    Employment

6.    Government grant

7.    Tech support

8.    Advance fee loan

9.    Fake check/money order

10.  Phishing

“Despite the method being used, the best way to prevent falling for a scam is to not engage, even if the correspondence consists of threats and scare tactics,” said Warren King, president of Better Business Bureau of Western PA, in a news release.

Cox Media Group