How are people being targeted online by scammers?

According to recent research by BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust, scams perpetrated online have risen 87% since 2015. So far in 2022, online scams are more prevalent overall (55%) than other delivery methods, with a higher percentage of people losing money when targeted (75%).

For the past two years, the BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust (BBB Institute), BBB’s educational foundation, has published the BBB Research Report: Start With Trust® Online to better understand how online purchase scams were being perpetrated in the marketplace. This year, we’ve expanded the focus of our report to spotlight all scam types that are perpetrated online to provide new information about which tactics have the biggest impact on consumers and to identify new information that can help consumers protect themselves from online fraud.