CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Making easy money is everybody’s dream. Scammers are using that to their advantage.
A recent report from the Better Business Bureau revealed that Cryptocurrency and Investment scams were the #1 con in 2024.
Katie Hills with the BBB explains how it all works.
“They go around this facade of tricking you into thinking they have a great deal for you,” said Hills. “If you put money in a certain account that you will see money from that tenfold. So, because a lot of people think they may be a really good investment.”
The report states that people are seeing up to $5,000 go down the drain.
If you think $5,000 is bad, what about over $1 million?
In February 2024, 19 News reported a Holmes County man lost a whopping $1.3 million from an investment scam.
“Why are people falling for this? People are losing thousands of dollars, and this is #1 for a reason.”
Hills said these scammers target anyone and everyone.
“People feel ashamed that they fell for this, and if we can give any since of advice is, don’t feel ashamed,” said Hills.
If you don’t recognize the number, don’t answer. If you receive an email with odd or incorrect spelling, it could be a scam. If the person on the other end is rushing you to send bank information, that turns the other way.
“They will ask for your social security. They might even ask for other personal information like your date of birth, but obviously don’t give that away to anybody you don’t know,” said Hills.
Hills said these are the scammer’s most used methods to steal from you.
Now that you know, hopefully, you can prevent scammers from hitting your wallet.
Copyright 2025 WOIO. All rights reserved.