Scam losses top $1 billion in North Carolina since 2021
FILE-In this photo illustration, stacked $100 bills with Benjamin Franklin's portrait are prominently featured. (Photo Illustration by Sheldon Cooper/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
North Carolina consumers reported scam-related losses that exceeded $1 billion over a five-year period.
Analysis of Federal Trade Commission data provided to Enlace Latino NC by The Associated Press found that the money reported as lost surged annually from 2021 through 2025. And it grew from roughly $95 million in 2021 to more than $342 million last year.
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The findings also revealed there were 71,000 scam reports in 2021 and 74,000 in 2025, but the number dwindled in other years.
Report shows scams vary in North Carolina
Dig deeper:
The analysis found that scams in North Carolina differ depending on a resident's location.
For instance, Mecklenburg County had the highest per-capita rate in North Carolina in eight of 47 sub-categories of scams the Federal Trade Commission monitors, including those linked to online shopping, diet products and debt counseling.
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Mecklenburg also recorded almost 7,000 reports of online shopping scams during a five-year period, the analysis noted.
Brunswick County led in six types of scams, including those targeting romance, tech support, and timeshares and vacations.
Durham County, which has roughly 350,000 residents, had just seven reports classified as immigration services scams during the five-year period. There were also enough reported scams to give the county the highest per-capita rate in North Carolina for that category.
The Associated Press reported that the FTC was aware of concerns involving immigration services scams in North Carolina. In 2014, the FTC and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services held an event in Durham centered on consumer protection in immigrant communities that discussed, among other problems, immigration services and notario scams.
How can I report scams?
What you can do:
The North Carolina Department of Justice suggests that consumers verify that a website or business is legitimate before providing money or private information.
According to The Associated Press, individuals who believe they may have been victims of a scam can file a complaint with the department.
The department also recommends submitting reports to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) and the Federal Trade Commission.
The Source: Information for this story was provided through analysis of Federal Trade Commission data provided to Enlace Latino NC by The Associated Press. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.