NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), over $49 million have been lost to scammers in Tennessee. In 2019, $10.8 million was lost in the first half of the year. The majority of victims appear to be falling to imposter scams.
“So, imposter scams are these are folks that are going to take advantage of people that we most likely all do business with,” said Robyn Householder, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) for Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky.
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To name a few, your bank, the IRS, your power company, the sheriff’s office.
“Who do you trust more than the better business bureau right? We are all about trust. Scammers will use our name to get you to talk to them,” Householder said.
While you may think you’ll never fall victim, Householder said scams are getting more intricate, especially now with AI.
“Imposter systems are definitely using AI, definitely seasonal, and definitely using current events,” Householder said.
Data from the FTC shows the majority of victims are falling for imposter scams. Householder blames the COVID-19 pandemic for the uptick over the years.
“We’ve never been on our smart devices as much as we’ve been the last three years. We are captive audiences for their attempt to reach us,” Householder said.
