BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Biggest scams in your area right now!
Joe Ducey/Better Business Bureau

Follow BBB scams on youtube@bbbpacsw https://www.youtube.com/@bbbpacsw
So what are the biggest scams taking the most money in the Bakersfield area right now?

We took their BBB ScamTracker complaints for one recent month, crunched the numbers and found a lot of people losing a lot of money.

Most common scams: Online purchases/counterfeit products.
Scammers fake legitimate brands, offer high end goods at big discounts.

Protect yourself by checking business names at bbb.org and run an online complaint search before buying.

Better yet, stick with known stores.

Also common, phishing scams.

Don’t click on urgent links. If it’s a bank security issue or charge you don’t recognize, only contact through your account.

Those were the most common scams.

But these took the most money.

Investment scams, #1 by far.

Scammers contact through accidental text messages or social media and build trust over time before introducing fake cryptocurrency or gold futures trading platforms where the victim's money is taken.

Don’t know the person? Never trust them with your bank information..

Other big money taking scams we’re seeing, online purchases and home improvement-upfront money scams.

Go to bbb.org to check out contractors before hiring.

And if there’s high pressure to get your money now, take a step back.

It’s usually a scam.
BBB’s most recent Riskiest Scam Report takes an in-depth look at the biggest scams overall and how to avoid them:
https://bbbmarketplacetrust.org/riskreport/

Before trusting any business, check out reviews, complaints and for trusted Accredited Businesses at BBB.org and visit BBB's Scam Tracker. Check out BBB scam warnings at joeknowsbetter.com