BBB: Watch out for summer’s hot scams — utilities, storm chasers, concert tickets
With June ushering in the official start of summer, and like the emergence of warmer temperatures and cicadas, scammers also are coming out in full force looking to exploit warm weather opportunities.
These fraudsters pose a significant threat to both consumers and business owners, stealing money and identities and diverting revenue from legitimate companies.
The BBB sees several distinct types of hot swindles this time of the year. One of the most important reminders is to always be extremely leery of anyone who is reaching out to you unsolicited, and this is doubly important when it comes to anybody knocking on your door unannounced.
Especially during the hottest months, it is typical to see solicitations for utility savings or air conditioning inspections and repairs, whether they be in the form of phone calls, texts, emails or in person.
One of the most devious tricks is fake calls to businesses or consumers saying their bill is past due and they will shut off electricity at once unless payment is wired or transferred. This uses a typical recipe for this type of scheme, which combines stress, threats, and an urgency to pay at once.
Sometimes to make the scam even more strategic, calls are made to businesses during their peak time such as approaching the noon hour for a restaurant. BBB and partner utility companies like People’s Gas and ComEd always emphasize that utility companies will never call you threatening an immediate shutdown and demanding payment.
Also, door-to-door impostors claiming to be utility workers can show up at your door offering to upgrade or inspect your air conditioner. Never do business with strangers without verifying their credentials and scheduling an appointment with the utility company directly.
And always do your homework before doing business with any company wanting to give you an air conditioner inspection or repair. A typical technique is to trick homeowners with discounted offers and false statements like, “We just happen to be in the neighborhood, so you can save money if we do the work now.”
Legitimate travel and rental agencies often must compete with scammers for rental vacation offers, especially in this era of high travel costs. Before booking a vacation or property, conduct thorough research to ensure you’re dealing with a legitimate business. Scammers often steal listings from reputable websites posing as the property owner. Once they receive your deposit, they vanish and take your money with them.
Recently there also has been a surge of phony travel companies who make airplane reservation seat holds, take unsuspecting victims’ money, and then let the reservation expire without completing the confirmation of the airline ticket.
Legitimate contractors often suffer because summer storms bring out storm chasers who can outright steal money from homeowners, or in some cases do shoddy repair work with substandard materials that can end up causing additional damage. Storm chasers often lurk in neighborhoods that have suffered major damage. They drive around making claims of great deals to repair trees, roofs, driveways or anything else affected by high winds, rain, hail, lightning, or anything that can inflict considerable damage.
With big events and superstar summer concerts coming such as the Rolling Stones, NASCAR, and Lollapalooza, ticket scams continue to rise. The situation is exacerbated by the continuing escalation of ticket prices, which can end up costing someone thousands of dollars if they end up with fake tickets.
Scammers post fake tickets on platforms like Craigslist and Facebook marketplace, leaving victims without tickets and out of their money. Always purchase tickets from licensed brokers or the venue itself to avoid counterfeit tickets. Check ratings and reviews and closely review the terms of refunds in the event of cancellation. Also check the web address; it’s a common practice for fraudsters to imitate the actual venue.
Scams are hitting all age groups — especially younger demographic groups — hard. Stay vigilant this summer and have a great season to enjoy family and friends. I hope you will share some of this information to help protect your community.
• Steve J. Bernas is president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau and can be reached at sbernas@chicago.bbb.org.