BBB’s Top Five Spooky Scams of Halloween

CHICAGO, IL – Alarming horror movies and frightening costumes aren’t the only spooky things going on during Halloween. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning consumers about popular scams during this time of year.

Viral Villans- Ebola Scams. Scammers always follow current events in the news and this time, scammers are taking advantage of people as they are panicking about the Ebola outbreak. Con artists will solicit for donations to fake charities or try to sell all-in-one products that will supposedly kill the illness and as a result, these solicitors can steal your personal information. Remember, experimental Ebola vaccines and treatments are in the very early stages so don’t be pressured by someone’s high-pressure tactics to make a donation.

Alarming Intruders- Bogus Break-Ins. Home security or alarm companies hire traveling sales agents to go door-to-door, making unsolicited “cold calls” on homeowners. Sometimes, the salespeople use high-pressure or deceptive sales tactics to get potential customers to buy expensive systems or equipment they don’t need. They may even claim that break-ins are going on in the neighborhood, even if that’s not true. Always check out home security companies with the BBB to make sure they are legitimate.

Pay or Die- The Hit Man Scam. This type of scam has been around for years. An email arrives to you out of the blue and the message says that the sender has been paid to kill you. In order for this to not happen, you must pay a certain amount of money and ask for personal details. It is important to NEVER respond to these emails and if you feel concerned about your personal safety, contact the police.

Chilling Threats- Shutoff Shakedown. Since temperatures are getting colder, it’s a popular time for scammers to give consumers false claims that their utility bills are delinquent and their service is in danger of being disconnected. Whether the payment demand is allegedly for ComEd or Nicor, the callers ask that the consumers purchase a gift card or a Green Dot card and then call back with the card information to make a payment.If you receive one of these calls don’t provide any personal or financial information to the caller. Instead, contact your utility company’s customer service department and verify that a call was made.

Dead Ringers- Identity Theft of the Deadly Departed. It can take up to six months for financial institutions, credit report bureaus and the Social Security Administration to share, receive or register death records. With a name, address and birth date in hand, they can illicitly purchase the person’s Social Security number on the Internet for as little as $10. To protect yourself against a loved one’s death, don’t list things such as birth date in the obituary, report the death to social security by calling 800-772-1213 and monitor the person’s credit report for any suspicious activity.

To view BBB’s Halloween’s 2014’s Scariest Scams Infographic online, click here.

Find out more about scams and sign up for scam alerts at BBB Scam Stopper (bbb.org/scam). For tips you can trust, visit bbb.org and like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.