Better Business Bureau has launched BBB Scam Tracker to provide consumers across North America with a place to report scams and fraud, and to warn others of malicious or suspicious activities. All 112 BBBs operating in Canada and the United States are now collecting information from consumers and processing data, which is shared with law enforcement agencies for use in identifying and prosecuting scammers.

“BBB helps consumers connect with businesses they trust, and warns them about dishonest practices,” said Mary E. Power, President and CEO of the Council of Better Business Bureaus Inc. (CBBB). “BBB has always been able to track specific information about businesses as part of the complaint process, and that procedure continues to evolve and grow, with nearly five million BBB Business Reviews. Scammers are different – they hone their techniques as they leave a trail of victims. As a crowdsourced tool with a human touch, BBB Scam Tracker exposes their fraudulent activity in real time.”

The free, interactive, online tool – found at bbb.org/scamtracker – offers a heat map showing where scams are being reported. Users can search using a variety of filters to see what scams are happening in their area, track a particular type of scam, and view the monetary losses associated with each scam. Users can also report possible scams, whether or not they have fallen victim.

The data collection process for BBB Scam Tracker was designed to generate information that can be useful to law enforcement. In the USA, scam reports are being sent to the National Cyber-Forensics and Training Alliance (NCFTA) for analysis and collaboration with law enforcement to help stop the most flagrant scammers through prosecution and other legal means. BBB also routinely share information on scams with federal, state and provincial agencies, and local law enforcement. We then make the data available to agencies in other countries to help stop scammers based overseas.

In addition, BBB Scam Tracker reports will prompt BBB tips and alerts, and serve as the basis for investigations, news releases, warnings, and trends analysis. BBB Scam Tracker is of great interest to the media, and the intake form asks consumers if they are willing to speak to a reporter about their experience.

Scam Tracker is the latest BBB tool designed to support BBB’s vision of an ethical marketplace, where buyers and sellers can trust each other. It’s our mission to be a leader in advancing marketplace trust and we believe BBB Scam Tracker is the next step toward realizing our goals.

Click here to see CBC Television’s national news story about BBB ScamTracker.