NY Attorney General’s Office releases ‘Top 10’ consumer scams from 2020

Andrew Hyman
[News10NBC]

ALBANY, N.Y. (WHEC) — New York State Attorney General Letitia James released Monday a "Top 10" list of consumer scams New Yorkers faced in 2020.

The release was part of a kick-off to "Consumer Protection Week" in the state, and many of the scams dealt with the COVID-19 crisis. News10NBC has investigated several scams as it relates to the pandemic.

Here’s a breakdown of the scams.

  1. Internet-Related (internet services and service providers, data privacy and security, digital media, data breaches, frauds through internet manipulation)
  2. COVID-19 Price Gouging (online and brick and mortar gouging of prices for items such as hand sanitizer, masks, gloves, bathroom tissue, food)
  3. Landlord/Tenant Disputes (security deposit releases, tenant-harassment)
  4. Health Clubs (continuous charging of fees while clubs were closed, inability to cancel memberships, refunds not provided, no response from clubs)
  5. Automobile (sales, service, financing, repairs)
  6. Consumer Services (security systems, tech repairs, immigration services, employment training)
  7. Retail Sales (any sale of goods: food, clothing, rent-to-own, online orders)
  8. Credit (debt collection, credit card billing, debt settlement and debt relief, payday loans, credit repair, credit reporting agencies, identity theft)
  9. Utilities (wireless and residential phones, energy servicers and suppliers, cable and satellite)
  10. Travel (inability to cancel or lack of refunds for cancellations required by COVID-19 travel restrictions)

The AG’s office has compiled a list of warnings and tips, which you can check out here.