03/06/2024
It's National Consumer Protection Week
Review educational materials to recognize imposter scams, the top reported form of fraud in Connecticut, and do your part by sharing this information with friends and family.
HARTFORD — The Department of Consumer Protection, the Office of the Attorney General, and the Better Business Bureau are reminding the public that this week is National Consumer Protection Week, the best week of the year to review and share information about detecting, avoiding, and reporting fraud and scams.
“The best thing you can do this week is share one piece of information every day with friends and family that will help them detect and prevent scams and fraud,” said DCP Commissioner Bryan T. Cafferelli. “We know the most effective way to recover from a scam is to avoid falling prey in the first place, and as scammers become more sophisticated and effective at impersonating carrying out fraud, anybody could become a victim. Our goal is to stop scammers in their tracks.”
“My office fights every day to protect Connecticut families and small businesses from bad actors,” said Attorney General William Tong. “I’ve crisscrossed Connecticut to talk to seniors about how to protect against some of the most prevalent scams and schemes. This week, during National Consumer Protection Week, we’ll be sharing more tips about how to protect yourself, your personal information, and your savings. Stay vigilant, and never, ever feel pressured to give your financial or personal information over to someone via unsolicited call, email, text message or knock at your door.”
“Better Business Bureau’s Scam Tracker Risk Report shows that the U.S. Postal Service was the most impersonated organization last year,” said Kristen Johnson, Director of Communications for the Better Business Bureau. “By pretending to be government agencies, well-known companies, or organizations, scammers seek to co-opt the trust and authority of these brands. About 58% of U.S. Postal Service impersonation reports to BBB’s Scam Tracker were phishing scams. Consumers should know that no government agency will seek payment or personal information through text message or email.”
New data from the Federal Trade Commission shows reports of fraud increased in 2023, with imposter scams being the top reported type of fraud, and consumers lost more money to fraud and scams than ever before.
Connecticut consumers reported losing more than $70 million to fraud and scams last year, compared to $57.5 million in 2022. Scammers were successful in taking larger sums from consumers in 2022. The total number of complaints was 19,276, and the average consumer reported losing $500 compared to $670 in 2022, according to newly released data from the Federal Trade Commission.
Connecticut consumers are encouraged to review resources to avoid recognize and avoid imposter scams:
- How to avoid imposter scams, from the Federal Trade Commission
- Imposter Scams information from the Office of Attorney General William Tong.
The Federal Trade Commission is hosting several online events this week in honor of National Consumer Protection Week, and consumers are encouraged to attend or check out the information to brush up on their knowledge of how to protect themselves from scams and fraud and be a smart consumer.
- Twitter: DCP on Twitter
- Facebook: DCP on Facebook
Media Contact:
Kaitlyn Krasselt
kaitlyn.krasselt@ct.gov
(860) 713-6019 (office)
(860) 377-0246 (cell)