Better Business Bureau talks about scams affecting West Tennesseans

JACKSON, Tenn. — WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News spoke with representatives from the Better Business Bureau about three scams that are increasing in popularity and that you need to be aware of.

The first scam is a one that victimizes people through the social media app, Facebook.

Toddnetta Trice, public relations for the Better Business Bureau, says this scam usually seeks out victims by impersonating people they know, and messaging them asking them to buy Bitcoin. Trice describes one woman who experienced this scam from what appeared to be her friend’s page.

“We ended up doing some investigating and realizing that her friend wasn’t actually her friend. Her friend’s page had been hacked,” said Trice.

This woman ended up losing over $6,000 on the scam. For this type of scam, if you have been contacted by what appears to be a friend, reach out to them in person, by phone, or another form of communication and verify if their message is legitimate. Another style of scam affecting those in West Tennessee are employment scams. These scams often target younger people looking for jobs.

“A lot of times when you’re in the job market you end up applying to so many jobs that you lose track, you forget, and that’s what scammers want,” said Trice.

You may then find yourself receiving a text message from what appears to be a business telling you they’re interested in hiring you. They may ask you to conduct an interview via text message or another app. Then they will say you got the job and send you W-4 forms to file or direct deposit forms-potentially stealing your identity or banking information. Trice recommends always double checking the legitimacy of a company.

“Always, always ask them, ‘What’s the name of the company again? I’m sorry been applying to so many jobs. Can you tell me again what’s the name of your company again, a little bit more about the position’. As well as known companies are being impersonated,” said Trice.

The last scam comes from a website based in Memphis supposedly selling shoes online such as fake Air Jordans, Ja Morants, or On Clouds.
Trice says the websites will pose as legitimate and their prices will be close to the prices from official dealers. Potential buyers may think the website is legit because the deal isn’t too good to be true. Trice recommends again, double checking the legitimacy of these websites and maybe doing a quick google search about them.

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