Top scams of 2009 released

AUSTIN (KXAN) - As 2010 is fast approaching, Better Business Bureau of Austin took a look back at the top 10 scams of 2009.

The agency took in over 25,000 complaints this year. Of those complaints, 17,000 met the BBB criteria. The most common schemes for the Central Texas-area ranged from free weight loss pill offers to job offers.

Ads offering trials of acai or resveratrol weight loss pills appear on many Web sites, including some respected national news organizations. The marketing campaigns often falsely claim endorsements by Oprah, Rachel Ray and Dr. Oz. Thousands of consumers have complained to BBB that the free trial actually cost them as much as hundreds of dollars, month after month.

Consumers have also been lured in by promises of extra income for mystery shopping. Some are asked to shop at a few stores and report on customer service, while others are told to wire money in order to evaluate wire transfer services such as Western Union or MoneyGram. Victims report receiving phony reimbursement checks and losing hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars.

Many victims receive a letter in the mail from Publisher’s Clearing House or another supposed lottery claiming they have won millions of dollars. The scheme is revealed when victims are required to wire hundreds of dollars back to the scammers, allegedly to cover taxes or other bogus fees.

Others have been reeled in by people claiming to be a family member or friendin distress. This is also known as the Grandma Scam, this scheme begins with a phone call or even a message on Facebook from someone posing as a friend or family member who states that they are outsides of the country and have gotten into trouble. The victim is asked to wire thousands of dollars to pay for lawyer’s fees, posting bail or a plane ticket home.

The BBB ads with many families are struggling in the current economy, scammers are offering to help them save their homes from foreclosure or help them get out of credit card debt. Unfortunately, victims are paying hundreds of dollars up front for the assistance they desperately need but ultimately never get.

Phishing e-mails are also popping up in boxes, appearing to be from a business, a government agency or even a friend. Whatever the setup, the goal of any phishing e-mail is to trick victims into divulging sensitive financial information or infect the victim’s computer with viruses and malware. In addition to phishing emails, spam e-mails selling cures and preventions against the spread of the H1N1 virus were particularly rampant in 2009.

BBB of Austin also said as unemployment rates in the U.S. hit the double digits for the first time in more than 25 years, scammers found a large pool of out of work individuals to take advantage of. Scams targeting job hunters vary and include offers to find employment for a large up-front fee, as well as attempts to gain access to personal information such as bank account or social security numbers in order to be considered for the “job.”

With the election of the first African-American President and the death of Michael Jackson, 2009 provided great opportunities for scammers to sell memorabilia and collectibles commemorating the events. Unfortunately, most items were sold at inflated prices and had only sentimental value.

Owning a cell phone or having a phone number on the do-not-call list did not help thousands of people across the U.S. put a stop to harassing automated telemarketing calls. The so-called "robocalls" often claimed that the consumer’s auto warranty was about to expire or offered help in reducing credit card interest rates. The high volume of robocalls violating federal telemarketing laws prompted the Federal Trade Commission to increasingly restrict the practice in 2009.

And finally, countless Web sites promise opportunities to make money from home using Google or Twitter and offer a free trial of learning materials, such as a CD-ROM. The Web sites often name Google and Twitter and include a logo. As a result, many consumer complaints to BBB state they thought they were getting a job with Google or Twitter when in, fact, they were being lured into another misleading free-trial offer.

To check the reliability of a company you can visit their Web site.