- Source, FTC
Descriptions of FTC Fraud Report Categories from Chart:
Imposter Scams: Someone pretends to be a trusted person to get consumers to send money or give person information. Examples include scammers claiming to work for or be affiliated with a government agency; scammer posing as a friend or relative with an emergency need for money; and scammers claiming to be affiliated with a private entity (e.g., a charity or company).
Online Shopping and Negative Reviews: Undisclosed costs, failure to deliver on time, non-delivery, and refusal to honor a guarantee on purchases made online; internet auctions.
Internet Services: Problems with website content, including websites that offer content for a fee or advertise products and services; difficulty cancelling an ISP or online account; and problems with broadband internet services and contest, including the truthfulness of cost, access and speed disclosures.
Prizes, Sweepstakes and Lotteries: Promotions for “free” prizes for a fee, foreign lotteries and sweepstakes offered through the phone, fax, email or mail, etc.
Telephone and Mobile Services: Advertising related to mobile plans, rate or coverage areas, problems with mobile applications or downloads; other mobile device problems; charges for calls to “toll-free” numbers, unauthorized charges, such as charges for calls consumers did not make; unauthorized switching of consumers’ phone service provider; misleading pre-paid phone card offers.
Travel, Vacations and Timeshare Plans: Deceptive offer for “free” or low-cost vacations; cut-rate student travel packages; misleading timeshare offers; etc.
Business and Job Opportunities: Business opportunities (e.g., offer to start a new business); work-at-home plans, (e.g., stuffing envelopes or processing medical claims); multi-level marketing schemes; job scams; job listings, or employment services; inventions or idea promotions.
Health Care: Fraudulent, misleading or deceptive claims for: medical products, supplies or treatments. Also includes reports about eye care and fitness monitors and devices that can connect to the internet and use a processor or sensor to collect consumer information, etc.
Foreign Money Offers and Fake Check Scams: Letters or emails promising a percentage of millions of dollars that are from a foreign country in return for money, bank accounts numbers or other identifying information from the victim; fraudulent schemes involving foreign lotteries, mystery shoppers or internet purchases/classified ads in which someone in over paid with a counterfeit check and asked to wire back the difference immediately after check deposit, leaving the victim responsible for the funds withdrawn; etc.
Investment Related: Investment opportunities in day trading; gold or gems; art; rare coins; other investment products; reports about companies that offer advice or seminars on investments; etc.