CHARLOTTE, N.C. Did you get ripped off in 2011? The National Consumer League is out with detailing who got cheated from what company.
The number one most-reported fraud of 2011 was the fake prize and sweepstakes reward. It was not only the top telemarketing con, but also was the overall top cheat with almost 27 percent in reports.
Coming in at a close number two was the fake check, which shows up in your mailbox. In this rip-off, you are sent a check for thousands of dollars and told to cash it and then wire a small portion of it back to the sender.
Sounds like easy money right? The problem is that it is a fake check and will bounce, making you responsible for the entire amount you cashed.
The checks are very good looking checks, and in some cases are real payroll checks that were stolen and used for this purpose. If the check looks real, more people are likely to fall for it.
Remember, experts say there is no such thing as free money, there is always a catch.
The web continues to dominate the place that most people get ripped-off. Thirty four percent of the time, a reported con originates on the web. However, a disturbing trend indicates that phone frauds increased by six-point-two percent in 2011, making the phone once again the second most used tool to contact victims.
And the age group that gets ripped off the most? It was 46- to 55-year-old adults, reporting to officials 21.2 percent of the time. And 63 percent of the time the individual or company is asking the victim to use a wire transfer.
If you would like to see the entire report and see all the statistics you can click here.
