Last year, your BBB received over 23,000 complaints from consumers who felt they were taken advantage of by a business. Those looking for jobs, struggling to make money or get out of debt were the most common targets of scammers, hackers and deceptive businesses in 2010.

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The holiday shopping season will be in full gear this time next week, but it's not always the shopper that needs to be wary. This week, we received a concerned email from a local consumer who had placed an ad on Craigslist to sell her furniture. Someone had inquired about her ad, but unfortunately was too busy to come by in person to pick it up and wanted instead to send a check to pay for the furniture. Sounds innocent enough right? Here is where it gets interesting...

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These five holiday season scams are sure to steal your cheer. As you shop for your friends and family, look out for the common threats that BBB sees every year…

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A common way consumers can be tricked into a sweepstakes scam is when the person who initiates the contact identifies with a well known organization or government entity. Luckily the person who called BBB yesterday wasn't fooled by a phone call from the "Federal Gaming Commission."

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Phishing attempts seem to change just as fast as the weather. Case in point, this week several consumers reported to BBB they received a message in their personal email inbox from "PayPal" titled "Unauthorized access on your PayPal account!" Of course if you're a PayPal user, this could turn on the panic button, but luckily one consumer did not own a PayPal account and knew it was fake. Here is what the message looks like:

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Identity theft continues to be a concern for consumers and businesses. That’s why BBB is offering you FREE shredding and recycling at the annual 2010 Fall Shred Day next month, as part of National Protect Your Identity Week (October 17-23, 2010).

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We normally think of phishing attempts as those that come through your email or from malicious websites, but they can also come from phone solicitations as well. Case in point, today we received an alert that several consumers have received automated phone calls telling them their credit or debit cards have been locked or temporarily suspended. Conveniently enough, the message also invites them to enter information over the phone to solve the problem. BBB warns this not to be done.

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Employee fraud costs businesses $400 billion in annual losses, and 76% of frauds are committed internally by employees. To help businesses gain knowledge on how to reduce fraud in the workplace, BBB is hosting a Business Seminar on Fraud Prevention next week in the following locations:

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Many people use TweetDeck to organize their Twitter lists and get automatic updates from those they follow. Lately, BBB has seen several messages populate Twitter telling TweetDeck users to download an update to the software. The messages include:

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Recently several local consumers have notified BBB about phone calls from individuals pretending to be debt collectors and threatening them with legal action or arrest. The consumers are told they must pay a supposed outstanding debt over the phone immediately. In some cases, the callers have social security numbers, bank information and the consumer’s address. BBB wants you to know what to do if a stranger calls claiming you owe them money.

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Recently we have sent a press release and appeared on local television stations to talk about scams that commonly target senior citizens. Just to show you the length scammers will go to, we received the following email last week from a concerned consumer whose neighbors were the target of a scam...

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It’s been nearly 4 months since oil began leaking from a well dug by British Petroleum’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig. This environmental disaster captured the attention of consumers, as well as scammers, nationwide. While the leak has since been sealed, BBB continues to hear from consumers about potential scams related to a variety of issues stemming from the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

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The summer season has officially arrived and that means vacations are right around the corner. With credit cards replacing traveler’s checks in popularity while away from home, it’s important to make sure your personal information stays safe. According to a 2009 Javelin Strategy and Research study, 43% of all fraud cases were due to lost or stolen checkbooks, debit cards and credit cards. BBB advises consumers on the go to keep these tips in mind…

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Yesterday, we released information from the Consumer Sentinel Network regarding Texas having the 3rd highest rate of identity theft in the nation per capita last year. However, identity theft was only a sub-category of overall fraud in the report. So how did Texas do in fraud complaints? Much better actually...Only the 30th highest rate of fraud complaints in the nation. As far as the cities in Central, Coastal and Southwest Texas go, out of 384 metropolitan areas nationwide, they were ranked as follows:

Austin - 91st
Corpus Christi - 338th
Killeen/Temple/Ft. Hood - 98th
Laredo - 382nd
San Antonio - 219th
Victoria - 359th
Waco - 361st

As you can see, most of the cities in your BBB's service area rate relatively well in fraud claims. However, the average Texan reported losing approximately $2,200 so the circumstances are still not very good for fraud victims. Remember to keep your personal information safe and be careful online. And keep your calendar open for BBB's Shred Day on April 10th so you can dispose of your sensitive documents properly and have them recycled.