During a recent meeting of the Bank On Memphis Coalition
hosted by our partners at the Better Business Bureau (BBB), some startling statistics were shared. Scam reports in Shelby County are surging. So far this year, Shelby County consumers have reported 3,125 scams to the BBB with reported losses of more than $23 million. For context, in 2025, the BBB received 1,307 reports totaling about $3.6 million in losses.These figures are based on reports submitted by consumers to BBB Scam Tracker. Because these are self-reported, BBB reviews and vets them as thoroughly as possible.
While the numbers are alarming, they don't tell the entire story. The dollar amount doesn't measure everything. It doesn't show the embarrassment, frustration, loss of trust,
shame and emotional toll that often comes with being victimized.
Victims of Shelby County scams
They include people who lost hundreds of thousands of dollars – in some cases, even millions – in cryptocurrency and investment scams. They include victims who spent months believing they were in a real relationship before discovering they were caught in a romance scam.
The numbers also include seniors who lost a few hundred dollars they could not afford to loseto Social Security impersonators, grandparents who lost thousands to Publishers Clearing House scams, families tricked into paying back taxes they didn't owe and college-aged victims who lost money to fake job offers.
They include people who gave someone posing as computer support remote access to their computer. They include people who panicked after their caller ID appeared to show the Sheriff's Department and they were told they had to immediately pay a fine for missing jury duty. And they include people already struggling financially who paid scammers promising government grants or financial relief that never existed.
Identity theft is also part of the picture. Some of the reported dollar loss included in that $23 million comes from accounts opened in victims' names, sometimes totaling tens of thousands of dollars. Even when the victim is not ultimately responsible for those charges, cleaning up the damage can take countless hours.
Falling for a scam is not about intelligence. Scammers are trying to create an emotional reaction – fear, urgency, excitement, loneliness or financial stress. Anyone can have a bad day, be distracted, or miss a red flag they might normally catch including a federal fraud investigator who made a report to ScamTracker.
How to avoid the most common scams
- Slow down – Scammers want you to act fast before you have time to think. Take a moment, talk to someone you trust and don't let anyone rush you.
- Spot check – Hang up, close the email or text, and contact the company or agency using a phone number or website you find yourself. Don't click unexpected links or attachments.
- Stop! Don't send – Be extremely cautious if someone demands payment by gift card, cryptocurrency or wire transfer. If something feels off, stop before sending money.
- Speak up – Report scams and scam attempts to BBB Scam Tracker at BBB.org/ScamTracker to help warn and protect others.
Consumer good news
Amway Corp., one of the largest multilevel marketing companies in the U.S., and two of its affiliates – World Wide Group, L.L.C. (WWG) and Leadership Team Development Inc. (LTD) – will pay $225 million to resolve allegationsfrom the Federal Trade Commission and the state of Washington that the companies use unfair and deceptive tactics to recruit members to its direct selling and multilevel marketing opportunity.
The monetary relief to be paid by Amway and its affiliates under the proposed order marks the largest monetary recovery obtained in an FTC action against a multilevel marketing company, nearly all of which will be used as redress to consumers harmed by Amway and its affiliates’ allegedly deceptive tactics.
Amway offers a moneymaking opportunity that it claims gives individuals, referred to as Independent Business Owners (IBOs), the chance to own and operate their own business selling a variety of consumer products, ranging from nutritional supplements, to energy drinks, to health and beauty products. In their complaint, the FTC and Washington allege that Amway and two of its affiliates, WWG and LTD, use a variety of deceptive and unfair tactics, including misrepresentations about likely earnings, to incentivize and pressure IBOs to buy Amway products they don’t want and that end up being difficult to sell.
Our goal with Wallet Warnings remains the same – to help you safeguard your money. If you have any questions or need any additional information about anything discussed here, please call (901) 222-0206. We are happy to help you avoid scams, fraud and predatory lenders. You work hard for your money, and we want to make sure scammers don’t get it.
Joseph Lee, III, is the Shelby County Trustee.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: How to avoid the 'surging' scams costing Shelby Co. $23M | Opinion
