The Better Business Bureau has announced the top scams of 2022.

Those scams include online purchases, employment, and phishing.

They say that online purchase scams are the riskiest. Scanners target consumers on social media with pictures of products from a legitimate business. When clicking the add, the consumer is taken to a fraudulent site, where they purchase an item, giving away their credit card information. The consumer then receives nothing in return.

The Better Business Bureau has tips for you to avoid these scams. They urge you to research before you buy items online, watch out for social media scams, and only shop on secure sites.

Employment scams were also a risk and has been for the past 5 years. Victims of employment scams apply for remote positions that do not exist. Victims are offered jobs with no interview or face-to-face contact. When hired, the victim shares their social security number and other personal information. After doing work, there was no pay or communication from the employer.

The Better Business Bureau says to research the job offer and verify any email addresses, to be cautious of work-from-home jobs, and tp be warry of any job that does not require an interview.

Finally, phishing scams were also a risk. Scammers use email, phone calls, or texts to trick people into giving them personal and financial information. The messages look like they are from a company that you know. The messages want you to click a link or download an attachment, which targets your personal information.

To avoid phishing scams, the Better Business Bureau recommends calling the company directly, not clicking, downloading, or opening anything from an anonymous sender, and using security software.

You can report scams to the Better Business Bureau, the Federal Trade Commission, and your credit card issuer.