In an effort to monitor and track fraudulent activity – both locally and across the US and Canada – Better Business Bureau is introducing BBB Scam Tracker, a new online tool which allows consumers and businesses to report instances of fraud they’ve encountered and stay up-to-date on scams targeting their area.
“We believe BBB Scam Tracker will be quite popular and prove to be extremely helpful to both consumers and business owners,” said Dana Badgerow, president and CEO of BBB of Minnesota and North Dakota.
“In addition, this greatly expands our window to the world as far as schemes targeting other regions and things we need to be monitoring closely.”
Whether you’ve been the victim of a fraudulent scheme, wish to report a suspect offer or are simply curious about scams targeting your area, you can do so by visiting bbb.org/scamtracker.
That will give you the option of filing a report or learning about scams or suspicious activity other people in your area have reported to Better Business Bureau.
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BBB staffers review all submissions to the site in order to watch for patterns of a problem and ensure the submissions are authentic.
BBB Scam Tracker also gives people the ability to see where scams are occurring nationally and allows them to search for fraudulent activity by keyword or within a certain timeframe.
Even if consumers or business owners don’t fall victim to schemes they’re confronted with, they’re encouraged to file a report through BBB Scam Tracker, which was launched in other markets on a trial basis earlier this year.
Encouraged by the enthusiastic response it received, Better Business Bureau is now offering it across the US and Canada. In addition, the data collected through these reports will be shared with law enforcement who, with enough information on the scams and their origins, will be able to take action to shut them down.
“Schemes inevitably evolve, and the bogus pitch that falls flat at first can sometimes be tweaked into a spiel that deceives and defrauds many,” added Badgerow. “The quicker we’re made aware of a problem, the faster we can react to make others aware of it.”
The mission of Better Business Bureau is to be the leader in building marketplace trust by promoting, through self-regulation, the highest standards of business ethics and conduct, and to instill confidence in responsible businesses through programs of education and action that inform, assist and protect the general public.
It is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Contact BBB at bbb.org or 651-699-1111, toll-free at 1-800-646-6222.
