State attorney general warns consumers of Top 10 scams

New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman recently released the list of the top 10 consumer-fraud complaints received by his office in 2017. He also offered some tips for New Yorkers on how to avoid future scams.

The attorney general’s office analyzed the consumer complaints received statewide throughout 2017. For the 12th year in a row, Internet-related complaints topped the list with 5,153 complaints, according to a news release the office issued. This category covered issues including child safety, privacy, civil rights, spyware, spam, consumer fraud, and free speech. 

Internet-related complaints were followed by 3,188 automobile complaints, which involved sales, services, financing, rentals, and repairs. Consumer-related services ranked third with 2,463 complaints, which included complaints concerning alarm companies, dry cleaners, furniture repair and refinishers, restaurants, hair and nail salons, movers, watch repairs, and other services for personal household use. Consumer-related services was followed by 1,961 landlord/tenant complaints such as rent security deposit issues and allegations of tenant harassment. 

Rounding out the top five, there were 1,827 utilities-related complaints, which included reports on cable and satellite companies, energy services and suppliers, and wireless and residential phone carriers. 

“The best weapon against fraud is an informed consumer,” said Schneiderman. “Fraudsters will always look for new ways to line their pockets at the expense of unsuspecting consumers. I encourage New Yorkers to educate themselves — and to continue reporting scams to my office, so that we can continue to crack down on scammers seeking to take advantage of New York consumers.”

The following is the 2017 list of the top 10 consumer complaints by category:

Category Number of Complaints

1. Internet (Internet services & service providers; data privacy & security; child safety; consumer frauds) 5,153 

2. Automobile (buying; leasing; repair; service contracts; rentals) 3,188

3. Consumer-related services (security systems; restaurant/catering services; tech repairs) 2,463 

4. Landlord/Tenant disputes (security deposit releases; tenant harassment) 1,961 

5. Utilities (wireless and residential phones; energy services & suppliers; cable and satellite) 1,827 

6. Credit (debt collection; credit-card billing; debt settlement; credit repair; credit-reporting agencies; identity theft) 1,436

7.Retail sales (any sale of goods for personal household use: food, clothing; rent-to-own) 1,285

8. Home repair/Construction (home-improvement services not delivered or done poorly) 982 

9. Mail order (purchases made online or from a catalog) 850 

10. Mortgage (mortgage modifications; mortgage and loan broker fraud; foreclosures) 799 

The state attorney general also offered a list of tips all consumers should use to protect themselves and their families. Here are his tips for the top three items on the complaint list:

Internet

It’s important to ask the right questions when choosing an Internet plan that’s appropriate for your needs and to ensure you are getting the Internet speeds you were promised, according to Schneiderman. If you are not receiving the speed you are paying for, call your Internet-service provider to find out why. 

Do not conduct any transactions that involve personal, financial, or credit-card information while using an open and unsecured Wi-Fi connection — identity thieves often stake out open networks seeking victims. Scammers also use variants of a well-known company’s Internet address to try to lure users into visiting fake websites that are then used to steal consumers’ personal information.

Automobile 

New York’s New and Used Car Lemon Laws provide a legal remedy for buyers or lessees of new cars that turn out to be lemons. You may be entitled to a full refund if your car does not conform to the terms of the written warranty and the manufacturer or its authorized dealer is unable to repair the car after a reasonable number of attempts, per Schneiderman’s office. The law allows consumers to shop around for the best deal when leasing a car, set limits on early termination, and gives the attorney general’s office jurisdiction to resolve excess wear-and-tear disputes. 

Consumer-related services 

When hiring people to provide services ranging from home repair to snow-removal to party-planning, make sure to use a written contract for all services that clearly defines restrictions and obligations of both the consumer and service-provider. Consumers should shop around, get estimates from at least three vendors, and check with the Better Business Bureau and other references to confirm the company is reliable and reputable.

Although not in the top 10, the attorney general’s office continues to receive consumer complaints about common phone schemes, including the IRS scam.

IRS scam

In the IRS scam, the caller poses as a U.S. Treasury Department, IRS, or other government official, demanding payment for unpaid taxes and threatening consumers with arrest if they do not pay up, Schneiderman’s office said. These scammers often use fake government logos in their email and caller ID spoofing so that the victim’s caller ID box says “Internal Revenue Service” or displays the phone number of the IRS.

Beware of scammers posing as government officials in phone calls or emails. The IRS will never demand immediate payment or payment information over the phone. The state attorney general advises to not engage this type of caller or provide any personal information, and report the call to his office by submitting a complaint or calling its consumer hotline at (800) 771-7755. Scams should also be reported to the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at (800) 366-4484.

New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman recently released the list of the top 10 consumer-fraud complaints received by his office in 2017. He also offered some tips for New Yorkers on how to avoid future scams.

The attorney general’s office analyzed the consumer complaints received statewide throughout 2017. For the 12th year in a row, Internet-related complaints topped the list with 5,153 complaints, according to a news release the office issued. This category covered issues including child safety, privacy, civil rights, spyware, spam, consumer fraud, and free speech. 

Internet-related complaints were followed by 3,188 automobile complaints, which involved sales, services, financing, rentals, and repairs. Consumer-related services ranked third with 2,463 complaints, which included complaints concerning alarm companies, dry cleaners, furniture repair and refinishers, restaurants, hair and nail salons, movers, watch repairs, and other services for personal household use. Consumer-related services was followed by 1,961 landlord/tenant complaints such as rent security deposit issues and allegations of tenant harassment. 

Rounding out the top five, there were 1,827 utilities-related complaints, which included reports on cable and satellite companies, energy services and suppliers, and wireless and residential phone carriers. 

“The best weapon against fraud is an informed consumer,” said Schneiderman. “Fraudsters will always look for new ways to line their pockets at the expense of unsuspecting consumers. I encourage New Yorkers to educate themselves — and to continue reporting scams to my office, so that we can continue to crack down on scammers seeking to take advantage of New York consumers.”

The following is the 2017 list of the top 10 consumer complaints by category:

Category Number of Complaints

1. Internet (Internet services & service providers; data privacy & security; child safety; consumer frauds) 5,153 

2. Automobile (buying; leasing; repair; service contracts; rentals) 3,188

3. Consumer-related services (security systems; restaurant/catering services; tech repairs) 2,463 

4. Landlord/Tenant disputes (security deposit releases; tenant harassment) 1,961 

5. Utilities (wireless and residential phones; energy services & suppliers; cable and satellite) 1,827 

6. Credit (debt collection; credit-card billing; debt settlement; credit repair; credit-reporting agencies; identity theft) 1,436

7.Retail sales (any sale of goods for personal household use: food, clothing; rent-to-own) 1,285

8. Home repair/Construction (home-improvement services not delivered or done poorly) 982 

9. Mail order (purchases made online or from a catalog) 850 

10. Mortgage (mortgage modifications; mortgage and loan broker fraud; foreclosures) 799 

The state attorney general also offered a list of tips all consumers should use to protect themselves and their families. Here are his tips for the top three items on the complaint list:

Internet

It’s important to ask the right questions when choosing an Internet plan that’s appropriate for your needs and to ensure you are getting the Internet speeds you were promised, according to Schneiderman. If you are not receiving the speed you are paying for, call your Internet-service provider to find out why. 

Do not conduct any transactions that involve personal, financial, or credit-card information while using an open and unsecured Wi-Fi connection — identity thieves often stake out open networks seeking victims. Scammers also use variants of a well-known company’s Internet address to try to lure users into visiting fake websites that are then used to steal consumers’ personal information.

Automobile 

New York’s New and Used Car Lemon Laws provide a legal remedy for buyers or lessees of new cars that turn out to be lemons. You may be entitled to a full refund if your car does not conform to the terms of the written warranty and the manufacturer or its authorized dealer is unable to repair the car after a reasonable number of attempts, per Schneiderman’s office. The law allows consumers to shop around for the best deal when leasing a car, set limits on early termination, and gives the attorney general’s office jurisdiction to resolve excess wear-and-tear disputes. 

Consumer-related services 

When hiring people to provide services ranging from home repair to snow-removal to party-planning, make sure to use a written contract for all services that clearly defines restrictions and obligations of both the consumer and service-provider. Consumers should shop around, get estimates from at least three vendors, and check with the Better Business Bureau and other references to confirm the company is reliable and reputable.

Although not in the top 10, the attorney general’s office continues to receive consumer complaints about common phone schemes, including the IRS scam.

IRS scam

In the IRS scam, the caller poses as a U.S. Treasury Department, IRS, or other government official, demanding payment for unpaid taxes and threatening consumers with arrest if they do not pay up, Schneiderman’s office said. These scammers often use fake government logos in their email and caller ID spoofing so that the victim’s caller ID box says “Internal Revenue Service” or displays the phone number of the IRS.

Beware of scammers posing as government officials in phone calls or emails. The IRS will never demand immediate payment or payment information over the phone. The state attorney general advises to not engage this type of caller or provide any personal information, and report the call to his office by submitting a complaint or calling its consumer hotline at (800) 771-7755. Scams should also be reported to the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at (800) 366-4484.