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According to the FTC, scammers have assaulted Americans for $ 545 million in Covid-related fraud since early 2020 on a variety of systems, from online shopping to travel.
The agency received nearly 589,000 pandemic-related consumer complaints from January 1, 2020 to August 30, 2021. Approximately 61% of reports referred to fraud; the median loss was $ 380.
“Scammers always take advantage of man-made or natural disasters,” said Susan Grant, director of consumer protection and privacy at the Consumer Federation of America, an advocacy group, last month.
Consumer complaints
According to state and local consumer agencies surveyed by a recent report from the Federation of American Consumers, the pandemic problem was most frequently reported in 2020 of price reductions. Consumers complained of exorbitant prices for sought-after products such as hand sanitizer, toilet paper and masks.
Agencies also received Covid-related complaints in a wide range of other categories, such as evictions, canceled events and travel, schools and daycare, according to the report.
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The actual extent of consumer complaints and losses is likely to be much higher than indicated by official statistics, as the data is self-reported by consumers.
Online shopping accounted for the largest number of scams reported to the FTC, with nearly 55,000 complaints.
Americans increased their online orders during the pandemic as they spent more time indoors. But many fell victim to “opportunistic websites” that claimed to sell popular items, from hand sanitizers to gloves, electronics, clothing and even puppies, according to the FTC. Customers order the item but never receive it.
The victims lost the largest amount of total money ($ 79 million) from vacation and travel scams, according to FTC data. Most frauds are related to returns and cancellations, the agency said.
Trips have skyrocketed in recent months as vaccines against Covid have risen and fraudsters have responded by creating fake airline ticket booking sites or customer service numbers, according to the Better Business Bureau.