Who’s Zooming Who?
The Consumer Federation of America is out with its’ Top 10 list of Worse Scammers last year.
Surprise, surprise, Car Dealers, Car Repairs, and Towing complaints come out, yet again, as #1.
Already this year, IRS Impersonators and Imposter Scams are topping the list for the most popular up and coming New Scammers.
These are the results of a survey conducted by Consumer Federation of America and the North American Consumer Protection Investigators of state and local consumer agencies across the United States. They were asked to rate:
- the top complaints they received last year,
- the worst and fastest-growing complaints,
- new types of complaints,
- suggestions for new laws to better protect consumers.
Thirty-three agencies in 21 states responded to the survey
Top Ten Complaints in 2015
- Auto. Misrepresentations in advertising or sales of new and used cars, lemons, faulty repairs, leasing and towing disputes.
- Home Improvement/Construction. Shoddy work, failure to start or complete the job.
- Utilities. Service problems or billing disputes with phone, cable, satellite, Internet, electric and gas service.
- Credit/Debt. Billing and fee disputes, mortgage modifications and mortgage-related fraud, credit repair, debt relief services, predatory lending, illegal or abusive debt collection tactics.
- Retail Sales. False advertising and other deceptive practices, defective merchandise, problems with rebates, coupons, gift cards and gift certificates, failure to deliver.
- Services. Misrepresentations, shoddy work, failure to have required licenses, failure to perform.
- Landlord/Tenant. Unhealthy or unsafe conditions, failure to make repairs or provide promised amenities, deposit and rent disputes, illegal eviction tactics.
- Household Goods. Misrepresentations, failure to deliver, faulty repairs in connection with furniture or appliances.
- Health Products/Services. Misleading claims; unlicensed practitioners.
- (Tie) Internet Sales. Misrepresentations or other deceptive practices, failure to deliver online purchases; Fraud. Bogus sweepstakes and lotteries, work-at-home schemes, grant offers, fake check scams, imposter scams and other common frauds
