MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The Better Business Bureau's Scam Tracker received about 146,000 reports in 2025, up from 81,000 in 2024, an increase of more than 80%, according to Lisa Schiller of the Wisconsin BBB.
She joined us on Monday, Sept. 21 to talk about the rise in reported scams nationally.
Despite the rise, only 8.1% of people surveyed said they know how to report a scam. The median loss per scam grew from $93 to $130, a 40% increase, and the BBB said its Scam Tracker reports helped people avoid losing a combined $38.9 million last year.
Investment and crypto scams topped the organization's list of riskiest scam types overall, followed by employment and online purchase scams. PayPal, Amazon and Target were the most commonly impersonated brands in scam attempts, according to the BBB.
Schiller said most scam victims are targeted again after falling for an initial scam, and that children are increasingly targeted by scammers online.