Texas residents report $10 million lost to scams in 2024

(Special to The Dallas Examiner) – Through an analysis of over 6,000 BBB Scam Tracker reports submitted by Texas residents throughout 2024, Better Business Bureau serving the Heart of Texas found record-setting losses and new strategies across a variety of scam types.Key findings:Related Stories In total, Texas residents reported over $10 million lost to scams – setting an all-time high since BBB Scam Tracker was first brought online in 2014. One-third of all reports (34%) include a median monetary loss of $150, slightly higher than median losses in 2023 of $136. Consumers aged 45-54 ($2.8 million lost) and 55-64 ($2.7 million lost) reported the highest total losses, separated by $70,000. Losses to investment/cryptocurrency scams account for nearly a third (31%) of total losses. Victims reported more than $3.1 million lost to these scams in 2024 – a $2 million increase from the previous year.From 2018 to 2022, BBB received an average of 3,800 scam reports totaling $2.4 million in losses annually. In 2023, BBB Scam Tracker reports increased to 5,000 and losses to $9 million. The following year in 2024, reports increased again to 6,000 and losses to $10.1 million.“Over the past few years, our data is showing a sharp...