Officials from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) of the United States have recommended that the public remain alert to the most common types of fraud and scams in the United States that have so far caused millions in losses.
According to the FTC's annual data report, people lost more than $8.8 billion due to various types of scams, which indicates an increase of $2.6 million compared to 2021, however, despite this increase, case reports have decreased.
"We saw a decrease in the number of complaints received compared to 2021, in 2022 we received 2.2 million fraud complaints, compared to 2.9 million in 2021," said Maria Mayo, Acting Associate Director of the Consumer Response and Operations Division of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, at a press conference organized by Ethnic Media Services in which experts met to expose the most common scams of 2022.
In addition, according to the FTC, the most reported scams were those that occurred through social networks, but those that involved the greatest economic loss were those carried out by telephone, with an average of $1,400 per person.
Among the frauds most reported by the population are imposters, online purchases, prizes, raffles or lotteries, investments and business or employment opportunities.
The report also indicated that young adults, aged 20 to 29, were the population that suffered the most scams, however older adults - although they suffered them less frequently - were those who lost the most money.
Mayo pointed out that one of the biggest frauds has been through business proposals with cryptocurrencies and warned that scammers create web pages or false information on them that make it seem like those who invest are really winning. He also pointed out that another of the biggest frauds has been that of "imposters" where people pretend to be someone and even have romantic interest, in order to obtain money or personal information.
"We know that there are many people trying to be others in order to scam," he said.
Rosario Méndez, a lawyer for the Division of Consumer and Business Education of the FTC's Office of Consumer Protection, said that it is necessary to talk about and warn about fraud in order to prevent and prepare the population in case they are affected.
"I think it's important — especially if you see someone talking to someone else — to ask people, 'How are you going to give money to someone you just met?' We need to ask those questions to make people realize that it's a scam," she said.
Méndez also stressed the need to conduct in-depth analyses of the complaints in order to determine trends in fraud and thus be able to better inform and prevent all communities.
Finally, Cristina Miranda, Consumer Education Specialist at the FTC's Consumer and Business Education Division of the Consumer Protection Bureau, pointed out the importance of having information in as many languages as possible so that the majority of people are informed and prepared.
He also noted that the FTC has made the website available to the public www.ftc.gov/languages, where users can find information to prevent scams and fraud, as well as the steps to follow if they are a victim of one.
Those who have been victims of fraud or scam can report it through the sites www.reportfraud.ftc.gov and www..reportfraude.ftc.gov
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