BBB releases COVID-19 scam report, average loss of $88 per person

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) – The Better Business Bureau is releasing its 2020 COVID-19 scam wrap-up report.

It shows the impact COVID-19 scams are having on people across the country.

According to the BBB, the average amount of money lost by someone on a COVID related scam was $88.

The report was put together based off of the BBB’s Scam Tracker

“So many people have been affected by this,” BBB Serving Wisconsin President and CEO Jim Temmer said. “Two-thirds of people reported being scammed and losing money to something COVID related.”

The report found women 35 to 54-years-old were the most susceptible.

“Scammers rely on emotion,” Temmer said. “So here we have a time where people are losing jobs, worried about your health, your family’s health, so maybe you aren’t thinking as clearly as you should and fall for a scam.”

The most common were mask scams where people would think they were buying them online, but then nothing would arrive. Followed by that were pet and employment scams.

The report also found people were conned in several ways including by email and on social media, but the most common was on fake websites. The BBB urges people to do research and only pay for items online with a credit card before buying online.

Temmer said it is likely the scams, including employment scams, will continue in 2021.

More information and tips can be found on the BBB website.