HILLSBOROUGH, Fla. — “There’s lots of different ways to get at consumers these days for scams,” said Leslie H. Tayne, financial attorney and credit and debt Expert
Scammers can reach you by text, email, phone call and social media.
Online scams continue to grow at the highest rate, where people are losing money, their personal information or both.
“When people get a hold of your information, they use it against you. So it’s not only that your information is being bought and sold, but it’s used to open up accounts that can damage your credit,” said Eric Olsen with Hillsborough County Consumer Protection Services.
In the past year, the Better Business Bureau reported that cryptocurrency/investment, employment and online purchase scams are the top three riskiest reported by consumers.
Romance scams rose on the BBB’s list in 2023, and for the first time, credit repair and debt relief scams have made the top 10.
“It doesn’t surprise me that there has been an increase in debt relief scams, especially post the changes with student loan debt relief programs with the federal government,” said Tayne.
Officials see this in the credit card debt relief industry as well, where someone says they can resolve your debt for a fraction of the price.
Some of the red flags to look out for include someone pushing you to pay money upfront and promises and guarantees, such as certain numbers or time frames.
“Many times consumers are emotionally distressed by the debt that they have, making it very difficult for them to make good decisions,” said Tayne.
That’s why officials stress you should never give out your personal information and don’t click any links in your texts or emails that you don’t recognize.
“Just because they advertise on television or radio or solicit you and it looks official, or they have some of your personal information, like the amount of debt you might owe to specific creditors, doesn’t make them legitimate. That just makes them one organization that was able to buy your information or obtain it on the web,” said Tayne.
With the more widespread use of AI, experts believe scams will only increase, and spotting red flags will get more difficult.
