WASHINGTON D.C. — People around the country reported losing more than $5.8 billion to fraud last year, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
The agency says it’s a huge jump from the previous year, up more than 70 percent.
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Chung Park and his son Ray said they get scam calls all the time.
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“I don’t answer,” said Chung Park. “I used to get a lot of ‘extend your car warranty.’”
The FTC said nearly 3 million consumers reported cases of fraud to the agency in 2021.
Imposter scams topped the list for the most common fraud reported.
“Imposter scams can be anything from somebody impersonating the government, somebody impersonating a business,” said Paul Witt, a lead data analyst for the FTC. “It could even be a romantic interest in the form of romance scams.”
Online shopping was second on the list of the most common fraud reports, leading to nearly $400 million in losses.
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That includes people not getting what they ordered or being overcharged or misled by the product.
The FTC said the number one tool to protect yourself is to do your homework, especially if a caller seems suspicious.
“Type the business or the entity up in a search engine,” said Witt. “See what pops up. Never give your personal information out especially to somebody who is demanding a payment or making a threat.”
If you think you’ve fallen victim to a scammer or have been contacted by one, you can report it at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
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