The Consumer Federation of America and the North American Consumer Protection Investigators collected information from 38 state, county and city agencies in 22 states to create its latest research work: the 2011 Consumer Complaint Survey Report. The report analyzes consumer complaints over a one-year period to identify new market trends and help agencies stay on top of new threats.
Auto-related complaints and issues with traditional payment cards tend to dominate the list. But this year, analysts say they’re seeing a new consumer threat emerge.
In the past, scammers have relied on money transfer services when conning consumers. It’s not surprising why: they’re fast, and don’t leave a trace. But new reports say some scammers are scrapping transfers, in favor of a new type of payment tool: prepaid cards.
The report details an account from the North Dakota Attorney General’s Office, where scammers have been instructing consumers to purchase Green Dot MoneyPaks to settle fabricated debts. The scammer asks for the serial number on the MoneyPak, loads the funds onto a prepaid card, and withdraws cash at an ATM.
In another instance, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office says it had a case where a crook claiming to be the Legal Department of Florida asked for $416 to be sent on a prepaid card.
The entire survey, based on 289,732 complaints, is available online.
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