BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust

BBB scam tracker upgrade: BBB scam tracker is an online tool that enables consumers to report scam activity. In 2022, BBB Institute partnered with amazon and capital one to rebuild the platform. The new platform is more intuitive for users and now includes an advanced search function to help people search by url, email, phone number, and more to determine if they're being targeted. Since the launch, submitted reports increased 58 percent and traffic increased 105 percent (year over year).

Fighting financial fraud: BBB Institute partnered with the finra investor education foundation to deliver the fighting financial fraud program, a train-the-trainer program for bbbs who teach people how to spot the signs of a financial scam, recognize scammer behaviors, and know where to go to verify legitimate investment professionals. In 2022, the program saw 19 new trainers provide educational outreach to 12,960 individuals throughout the united states.

Consumer education campaign with amazon (impersonation scams): BBB Institute partnered with amazon to deliver a consumer education campaign aimed at helping people identify and avoid losing money and personal information to impersonation scams. Impersonation occurs when a scammer pretends to be a trustworthy organization or individual to steal a person's money or personal information. According to BBB Institute research, it is the most reported tactic used by scammers. The co-branded campaign ran during the holiday season (october 24th through december 23rd) when we typically see an increase in scam attempts with more people seeking to make purchases.

Research (BBB scam tracker risk report & start with Trust report): BBB Institute published two reports in 2022. The BBB scam tracker risk report analyzes all scam reports submitted in 2022, highlighting how scams are perpetrated, who is being targeted, which scams have the greatest impact, and behaviors and factors that may impact a person's susceptibility. The start with Trust report analyzed the impact of online scams (all scam types), impersonation scams, and online purchase scams. Both reports are available on the BBB Institute website. Military & veterans initiative: BBB continued to provide free resources and educational programming to military consumers in partnership with bbbs across the country. The military & veterans initiative focuses on 1) providing fraud prevention resources to service members and their families on and around military installations, 2) community outreach to provide resources to veterans, 3) sharing information and tips via social media and other online channels, and 4) distributing a monthly e-newsletter to 10k+ military consumers that provides financial readiness and fraud prevention articles. Bbb4good: the bbb4good pilot program concluded in 2022, with 23 bbbs providing input about the new program. The program enables purpose-driven businesses to become "bbb4good verified" by vetting their social good activities with BBB. Bbb4good empowers consumers to choose businesses that reflect their values and allows purpose-driven business to stand out in the Marketplace. Bbb4good is being offered in six BBB service areas.corporate Trust council: BBB Institute continued to expand its corporate Trust council. The corporate Trust council is a coalition of select companies that have joined with BBB Institute to foster a Marketplace that is trustworthy and accessible for all by providing their expertise, resources, and funding support. These companies share our passion for strengthening better businesses and helping people avoid scams through education. The corporate Trust council seeks to: build a community of better businesses by establishing best practices and delivering educational resources. Identify new threats to a trustworthy Marketplace and create strategies to address them. Deliver programs, resources, and tools to protect consumers and build Trust between consumers and businesses in the marketplace.outreach: the BBB Institute team continued to speak at and participate in events with strategic partners, enabling us to expand our reach to the general public and vulnerable populations being impacted by scams in the Marketplace.