According to year-end statistics, Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona provided more than 690,000 instances of service to local consumers in 2012, up 30 percent from 2011.

The increase in service was driven in part by a 64 percent increase in consumer requests for industry specific lists of BBB Accredited Businesses, and a 27 percent increase in consumer requests for specific BBB Business Reviews. Consumers usually request the business “rosters” and Business Reviews when deciding on a company to do business with.

Despite the overall increase in instances of service, complaints filed with BBB were down one percent compared with 2011. Southern Arizona businesses successfully resolved 69 percent of complaints through BBB’s voluntary process, with Accredited Businesses leading the way, resolving 97 percent of their complaints, while non-Accredited Businesses resolved 57 percent of the complaints filed against them.

Based on BBB’s experience in 2012, here are the top five scams or pitfalls that Southern Arizona consumers should be on the lookout for going into 2013:

Deceptive Mail: BBB offices took hundreds of calls in 2012 from recipients of deceptive letters in the mail. Many of these letters had the appearance of a bill or invoice, but were simply solicitations for services or products. There were also reports of letters that told recipients they’d won free airline tickets, but of course, they didn’t. Fraudulent sweepstakes letters also continued to be a prevalent scam.

Auto Repair Services: In 2012 Southern Arizona consumers filed more complaints against auto repair services than any other industry, and only 64 percent of those complaints were resolved. BBB currently gives 36 Southern Arizona auto repair services letter grades of a ‘D’ or an ‘F’ for either not answering or not resolving complaints filed against them. While there are many more auto repair services that resolve their complaints, and maintain ‘A’ grades, BBB strongly recommends that consumers consult www.tucson.bbb.org to find a reliable auto repair service next time your car is on the fritz.

Smartphone Malware: Whether its mobile apps loaded with malware, counterfeit QR codes that take smartphone users to websites that load viruses onto their phones, or Near Field Communication-a technology which allows two devices to exchange data when in the proximity of each other-scammers who use the new technology to remotely steal information from your phone, 2013 promises to see its fill of mobile phone related scams. Consumers should be cautious before downloading any new app or scanning a QR code without ensuring it comes from a legitimate source. If your smartphone has NFC technology make sure you leave it switched off except when you need to use it. This will prevent thieves from breaking into your phone without you knowing it.

Debt/Mortgage Relief: For many Southern Arizona consumers 2012 was yet another tough year financially, and many people are still looking for ways to get out of debt or keep their homes. Unfortunately, scammers take advantage of desperate situations. Bogus mortgage and debt relief programs will continue to pop up in 2013. People will receive offers and solicitations that they think are the answer to prayers, but they will just escalate the problem. Check out mortgage and debt relief programs before doing business with them. And, be extremely wary of checks that show up by surprise in your mailbox.

Internet Shopping: As more consumers turned to the Internet in 2012 to make purchases, complaints about Internet shopping increased as well. Complaints were about non-delivery of items paid for, late delivery and customer service issues. One Southern Arizona-based online company called Blade Empire-which sells knives and swords-tallied 19 unanswered complaints from consumers around the country who say they never received the products they ordered.

For more information on scams and other marketplace issues, consumers can contact BBB by calling (520)888-5353 or by visiting www.tucson.bbb.org.

Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona is challenging consumers to be smarter, safer consumers in 2013. By following these 10 simple New Year’s resolutions, consumers will be prepared to combat scammers and protect themselves from fraud:

1. Do your research. Whether it’s a business you’re looking to hire or a product you’re looking to buy, take the time to do your research. Check out a business at bbb.org to see its BBB Business Review. For product information, go to the Consumer ProductSafety Commission.
2. Keep your computer safe. Install anti-virus software on your computer and regularly check for software and operating system updates. Don’t open attachments or click on links in emails unless the email came from someone you know and trust.
3. Get it in writing. Don’t just take abusiness’s word for it. Get every verbal agreement in writing to limit miscommunication and misunderstandings.
4. Never wire money to someone you don’t know. Many scams require money to be wired back to the scammers. Tracking money sent via a money wiring service is almost impossible.
5. Protect your identity.Always shred paper documents that include sensitive financial data and dispose of computers, cell phones and digital data safely. Safely store all personal documents, such as your Social Security card, pull your credit report at leastonce a year and check your credit and debit card statements frequently.
6. Shop on trustworthy websites.Online shopping is increasingly become more popular, so before you provide any personal or banking information over the web make sure you’re using a trusted site. Look for the “s” in https:// as opposed to http://in the address box.
7. Give wisely. Most philanthropists give year-round. To ensure your time, treasure and talent are going to the cause you’re looking to support, research all charities at www.give.org to check their legitimacy and to see how their monetary donations are distributed.
8. Don’t be pressured. If a company,organization, or salesperson uses overly-aggressive sales tactics to pressure you into making a purchase or on-the-spot decision, that’s a red flag. Walkaway.
9. Limit the amount of information shared on social media pages. Scammers use social media sites to gather information on potential victims. Avoid sharing too much personal information and check your privacy settings. Additionally, never announce through a social media site that you are going out of town, or won’t be home for a specified amount of time.

Let your BBB help. BBB is here to promote marketplace trust. If you have an issue with a business or feel you have been scammed, file a complaint with your BBB.

The BBB Wise Giving Alliance has tried for six years to get Invisible Children to cooperate in a charity review. Since 2006, BBB has sent 18 letters (12 via Certified Mail) to the non-profit behind the Internet phenomenon Kony 2012 video, but has received no response.

The BBB Wise Giving Alliance initiates charity reviews based on donor requests. Unlike other charity review organizations, it does not rely solely on public documents but requires charities to provide more in-depth information in order to evaluate its governance, effectiveness, finances, fund raising, donor privacy and other matters.

The BBB Standards for Charity Accountability, which were developed with extensive input from the charitable community and donors, are used by the Alliance in preparing evaluative reports on over 1,300 nationally soliciting charities, and by local BBBs for more than 10,000 local charities.  There is no charge to the charity for the accountability assessment and the resulting reports are available to the public free on the www.tucson.bbb.org/charity website.

Invisible Children’s Kony 2012 video features criticisms of Joseph Kony, who heads an army of child soldiers in central Africa and has been accused of various atrocities against villagers in that region.

“I don’t understand their reluctance to provide basic information,” says H. Art Taylor, President and CEO of the BBB Wise Giving Alliance. “The whole point of the effort is to shine the light of truth on a terrible atrocity, and yet they seem to be reluctant to turn that light on themselves. It’s really unfortunate, because their campaign has the potential to inspire and galvanize millions of young activists and future philanthropists.”

“We don’t assume that nondisclosure is proof of bad faith,” continued Taylor, “but the vast majority of national charities we contact (70%) demonstrate their commitment to transparency by providing the Alliance with requested information so that we can produce reports for public inquirers.” The 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability offer the most rigorous evaluation of nonprofit organizations available.

The website of Invisible Children includes a statement about its lack of cooperation with BBB requests for information noting that “Participation in BBB’s program is voluntary – we [Invisible Children] are choosing to wait until we have expanded our Board of Directors, as some questions hinge on the size of our board….”

Despite Invisible Children’s statement on its website, the six-member board size would not be a problem with the BBB charity standards, says Taylor. He did express concern, however, that two of the six board members are paid staff.  One of the BBB charity standards calls for no more than 10% of the voting membership of the board to be compensated.

“For any charity, too many paid staff members serving on the governing board can result in a variety of potential problems,” Taylor explains, “including, but not limited to, a lack of objective board decisions being made about the charity’s budget, staff oversight, the selection of charity programs and how best to raise funds.”

“There may or may not be other potential areas of concern with the 20 BBB charity standards,” he added, “but without the requested information from Invisible Children we are unable to determine this. We welcome Invisible Children to provide information at any time so that we can amend our nondisclosure report and conduct a full review in relation to our standards.”

HELPFUL LINKS:

List of national charity reports

Full text of BBB Standards for Charity Accountability

Implementation Guide to the BBB Charity Standards