Tips for Spotting Scams Edit page

The Arizona Attorney General’s Office and the Better Business Bureau are partnering on a consumer education program to help the public spot and avoid scams. Attorney General Kris Mayes and former television newsman Joe Ducey share tips in a series of video public service announcements on tips to avoid losing money and personal information, which an be found HERE. 

A 2024 report from the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center indicated Arizonans lost an estimated $392 million to fraud. The Arizona Attorney General’s Office that year received nearly 22,000 consumer complaints from Arizonans; answered about 28,775 phone calls; and reviewed more than 23,000 emails from consumers reporting potential fraud. The Attorney General’s Office recovered $5.2 million on behalf of Arizona consumers harmed by scams.

Those who believe they have been a victim of consumer fraud can file a consumer complaint by visiting the Attorney General’s website. For those needing a complaint form sent to them, they can contact the Attorney General’s Office in Phoenix at 602-542-5763. You can also report scams to the FTC.

Tips for spotting scams

The Arizona Attorney General’s Office and the Better Business Bureau encourage consumers to follow these tips to reduce the chances of being scammed by a fraudulent celebrity endorsement:

• Slow down. Before you order the product or send money, talk with someone you trust.
• Do some research: search online for the celebrity’s name plus “scam.” Do the same with any charity or cause they’re asking you to support — and learn more about charity scams here.
• Never send money, gift cards or prepaid debit cards to someone you don’t know or haven’t met — even celebrities you meet on social media.
• Don’t trade or invest with a person you have only met online. Don’t speak of your financial position or investments with strangers online.
• Don’t share personal information or current financial status with strangers. Don’t provide your banking information, Social Security number, copies of your identification or passport, or any other sensitive information to anyone online or to a site that you cannot verify is authentic.
• Resist pressure to commit quickly. Be cautious of individuals who claim to have exclusive investment opportunities and urge you to act fast.
• Ask your health care professional about dietary supplements. The government doesn’t review or evaluate supplements for safety or effectiveness before they’re put on the market. Even a natural supplement can be risky depending on your health and the medicine you take, and your doctor knows your health better than a celebrity.
• Get familiar with deepfake technology. Scammers use deepfake technology to trick people. They take real video clips and photos of a person and use them to create new videos and audio clips. Deepfake images and videos can be surprisingly realistic. See this BBB article for tips on spotting deepfakes.
• Understand how AI-generated images work. With AI image generators, you can type in a few words describing the image you want to be created, and the AI generates an image based on your text. It’s valuable technology, but scammers can abuse it to create images to back up their stories, products, or outright lies.