(CHICAGO) — The Better Business Bureau of Chicago say the overall volume of the local top scams spiked off the charts, almost doubling year over year from 1,196 to 2,553 in the year ending on 12/31/2025. Online Shopping scams have topped the list for the sixth consecutive year, driven by a robust economy and the ever-growing popularity of buying online, often pulled in by phony or deceptive pop-up ads.
In fact, the top three scams from last year remain unchanged, with phishing and employment scams continuing to follow closely behind. Online Purchase, Phishing, and Employment remained the top three, each more than doubled in count. BBB urges people anytime they encounter a scam, whether they have lost money or not, to report it to the BBB ScamTracker. Posting information helps to prevent this from happening to others.
Steve J. Bernas, president and CEO of BBB says, “In many years, we have never seen anywhere near this type of increase. These results show that con artists keep coming up with various schemes and ways to entice all age groups, from young to old. The only way to put scammers out of business is not to give them your business.”
Scammers continue to add twists, even setting traps with AI and deepfake technology. They conduct fake virtual or phone interviews in the ever-menacing employment scams. One thing always remains the same: fraudsters play with people’s emotions and rush them to make quick buying decisions.
Bernas adds, “The key red flags remain the one-two punch of fraudsters…evoking a high emotion of excitement or fear and demanding immediate payment, often in the form of bank transfers, gift cards, or wires.”
Below is the official list and some descriptions of the Top Local Scams.
Top 10 Local Scams to watch out for in 2026
1. Online Purchase – (Ranked #1 for the sixth year in a row – most often fake websites – often Pets)
2. Phishing Scams – (Clicking on scam links can lead to malware – Imposter scams)
3. Employment – (Scam job offers – often “work from home”)
4. Counterfeit Products – (Clothing, electronics, shoes, purses, etc.)
5. Advance Fee Loans – (Online claims and temping offers can be a myriad of misinformation)
6. Identity Theft – (These scams have surged with advances in technology)
7. Credit Cards – (Phony offers, thefts, and scary texts saying your account has been hacked)
8. Debt Collections – (Scare tactics and threats, saying you owe money and they need payment immediately)
9. Government Agency Imposter – (Messages from scammers pretending to be IRS, Medicare, Social Security and other agencies demanding money or personal information)
10. Retail Business – (Growing impersonation of trusted retail brands such as Amazon, Apple, Walmart and many others. Scammers use phony lookalike websites and offer special low prices and other lures designed to steal your money and personal information.)
While some scams have fallen off the top 10, such as investment and tech support scams, they are still common with big money losses, especially investment scams, which include gold and cryptocurrency.
