Happy Friday, everyone! Welcome back to another edition of the Friday Blotter — your weekly roundup of the scams and fraud schemes making the rounds right now. This week, we’ve got three important alerts you really need to hear about, especially if you’re job hunting, answering calls from unknown numbers, or shopping online. Let’s dig in.
The Better Business Bureau has been busy this week, and honestly, so have the scammers. From fake job offers arriving by text message to phony process servers trying to scare you into handing over your Social Security number — and a sneaky online shopping trick that can drain multiple bank accounts at once — there’s a lot to cover. Grab your coffee and let’s talk about what’s going on out there.
Scam #1: Job Scams Are Hitting Record Levels — And They’re Getting Sneakier
What’s Happening
If you’ve been job hunting lately, pay close attention to this one. According to a new study released June 10, 2026 by the Better Business Bureau’s International Investigations Initiative, employment scam reports more than doubled in 2025. The BBB logged over 23,000 employment scam reports last year, up from nearly 12,000 in 2024. That’s a staggering jump — and the fastest-growing type of job scam is something called a task-based scam.
How This Scam Works
Here’s the thing — this one starts out looking completely harmless. You get an unsolicited text message from someone offering you a job. The “work” sounds easy: like videos, subscribe to channels, rate products online. They tell you you’ll get paid for each task you complete.
You do a few tasks. Maybe they even show you a balance building up in some kind of online account. Then comes the catch. To “unlock” your earnings or move on to higher-paying tasks, they ask you to send money first. Maybe it’s a small amount at first — $50, $100. But it keeps going. And the earnings you thought you were building up? They were never real. The money you sent? Gone.
According to the BBB, text-message recruitment accounted for about half of all employment scam reports, and more than 600 reports specifically involved these task-based scams.
Why People Fall for It
This is where scammers get people — the offer feels low-stakes. Liking a video or subscribing to a channel is something millions of people do every day for free. The idea that someone would pay you to do it doesn’t sound completely crazy. And the scammers are patient. They build trust slowly before asking for money.
Evey Owen, Vice President of the BBB of Central and South Alabama, put it plainly: be cautious of any job offer that requires no interview or asks you to pay money before you receive any compensation.
🚩 Red Flags to Watch For
- You received a job offer out of nowhere — you never applied
- No interview required, or the “interviewer” refuses to turn on their camera
- The job involves liking, subscribing to, or rating videos or channels
- The pay sounds too good to be true for such simple tasks
- You’re asked to pay fees, taxes, or deposits to “unlock” money you’ve already earned
- High-pressure tactics to accept the job immediately
✓ What I Would Do
If someone contacts you out of the blue with a job offer, my first move would be to go directly to that company’s official website and look for the job posting. If it’s not there, it’s not real. And here’s a rule I’d never break: no legitimate employer will ever ask you to pay money to receive your paycheck. Full stop. If someone asks you to send money to unlock earnings, hang up and walk away.
✓ Quick Protection Checklist
- Never respond to unsolicited job offers sent by text message
- Research the company independently — go to their official website directly
- Never pay upfront fees, taxes, or deposits to start a job or receive pay
- Avoid any job that pays you to interact with videos or social media channels
- Insist on a real interview — video or in person
- Report suspicious job offers at BBB.org/ScamTracker
Source: ABC 33/40 — BBB Warns Job Scams Are Reaching Record Levels
Scam #2: A “Process Server” Is Calling — But There’s No Lawsuit
What’s Happening
This one is designed to scare you, and it works. The BBB Scam Tracker has been receiving a steady stream of reports about a phishing scam where callers pretend to be process servers — the people who legally deliver court documents. The caller tells you there’s a lawsuit against you, a lien on your home, or an unpaid medical bill that’s gone to court. And they need to verify your information right now.
One person who reported the scam to BBB Scam Tracker shared: “Roy Smith called several times and did not identify himself at first. Wanted me to verify my SSN. I told him that I am not supplying that, then read off the first 5 numbers of my SSN. He then threatened to have me arrested.”
Another person reported: “I received a call from a private number, claiming to be a ‘process server’ stating they had papers regarding a lien on my home… I checked with my police department, and town, I have no liens on my home.”
How This Scam Works
The caller — often from an unknown or blocked number — claims they have legal papers to serve you. They might say federal law prevents them from sharing details over the phone, which is meant to sound official and make you nervous. Then they ask you to “confirm” personal information: your date of birth, your address, your Social Security number.
If you hesitate or push back, they turn up the pressure. They get angry. They threaten more legal action. Some callers even say they’ll be at your home or workplace within the hour to serve papers and demand to see your ID. It’s all designed to make you panic and hand over your information without thinking.
In some cases, these scammers aren’t just after your information — they’re also fishing for details about your family members. BBB Scam Tracker reports show callers asking people to verify information about parents, spouses, and children.
Why People Fall for It
Let’s be honest — the idea of being sued or having a lien on your home is terrifying. Scammers know that. They use legal-sounding language and urgency to short-circuit your common sense. When someone is threatening you with court action, your instinct is to cooperate and fix the problem fast. That’s exactly what these scammers are counting on.
Here’s the thing: real process servers don’t call ahead to warn you. They don’t ask you to confirm your Social Security number over the phone. And they certainly don’t threaten to have you arrested if you ask questions.
🚩 Red Flags to Watch For
- Call comes from an unknown, blocked, or private number
- Caller claims to be a process server but won’t give details about the case
- You’re asked to “confirm” your Social Security number, date of birth, or address
- The caller gets angry or threatening when you ask questions
- They claim they’ll arrive at your home or work within the hour
- They use out-of-date information (old address, maiden name) to seem credible
- They ask about family members or ask you to have a family member contact them
✓ What I Would Do
Hang up. Then go to your local court’s website and search your name. If there’s a real lawsuit filed against you, it will show up there. If nothing comes up, you’re in the clear. Do not call back the number that called you. And whatever you do, don’t give out your Social Security number, date of birth, or any other personal information to someone who called you out of the blue.
Also — and this is important — if the caller already has some of your information, don’t assume that means they’re legitimate. Scammers often piece together details from old data breaches or previous scams. They may use your maiden name or an old address to seem credible, then try to get you to “correct” them with your current information. Don’t take the bait.
✓ Quick Protection Checklist
- Never give personal information to someone who calls you unexpectedly
- Search your local court’s website to verify whether any lawsuit has been filed
- Remember: real process servers do not ask for your SSN over the phone
- Don’t let urgency or anger pressure you into acting without thinking
- Warn family members — these scammers also call relatives to gather information
- Report the call to BBB Scam Tracker and your local police if threatened
Source: Avery Journal-Times — BBB Scam Alert: This Phishing Scam Claims a Process Server Is Looking for You
Scam #3: Your Card Was “Declined” — But You Were Actually Charged
What’s Happening
This one is particularly nasty because it hits you when you’re doing something completely normal — shopping online. The BBB is warning consumers about a scam where a fake website shows you a “card declined” error message, even though your card is perfectly fine. You try a second card. Declined again. You give up and move on — but later you discover that fraudulent charges were made on both cards, sometimes for amounts much larger than what you were trying to buy.
One consumer reported to BBB Scam Tracker: “I proceeded to make a purchase on the website and after I entered my credit card, the site reloaded and said to use a different card as ‘the card did not go through for some reason.’ I retried and had the same message. I got an alert from my card company almost instantly that the charge for $2,500 was declined. I did not attempt a $2,500 charge. Now my personal email, address, phone number and account number have been exposed.”
How This Scam Works
Scammers build fake websites — or sometimes hijack real-looking ones — that are designed to capture your payment information. These sites often show up through email links, social media ads, or search results, and they frequently impersonate familiar-sounding brands offering a free or heavily discounted item.
You enter your card number. The site shows a “declined” message. But here’s what’s actually happening: the site captured your card number the moment you typed it in. The “declined” message is fake — it’s just there to get you to try another card. Now they have two card numbers. And they’re not charging you the small amount you were trying to pay. They’re charging much more.
By the time you realize what happened, your personal information — email address, phone number, home address, and card numbers — has already been handed to a scammer.
Why People Fall for It
Red flag number one is that we’ve all had a card declined before. It happens. Maybe you forgot to notify your bank about a trip, or you hit your limit. So when a website says your card was declined, your first instinct is to believe it and try another card. That’s a completely natural reaction — and scammers are exploiting it.
The other reason this works is that these fake sites often look completely legitimate. They may use the name of a real brand, have professional-looking design, and offer something that seems like a great deal. The scam is in the checkout process, not the storefront.
🚩 Red Flags to Watch For
- You found the website through an email link or social media ad — not by searching directly
- The offer seems too good to be true (free item, extreme discount from a big brand)
- Your card gets “declined” even though you know it’s fine
- The site asks you to try a different card after a decline
- The URL looks slightly off — a misspelling, extra characters, or no “https://” at the start
- You receive a fraud alert from your bank for an amount much larger than your intended purchase
✓ What I Would Do
Here’s what I would do: if your card gets “declined” while shopping online, stop right there. Do not try another card. Instead, call your bank directly using the number on the back of your card and ask if there’s actually a problem. If your bank says the card is fine, that’s a huge red flag that the website is the problem — not your card.
Before you shop anywhere online, take a second to look at the web address. Make sure it starts with “https://” and that the name of the site is spelled correctly. If you got to the site through an email or ad, close it and go directly to the brand’s official website by typing it yourself.
And whenever possible, use a credit card rather than a debit card for online purchases. Credit cards offer stronger fraud protections, and you can dispute unauthorized charges more easily.
✓ Quick Protection Checklist
- Never try a second card if the first one is “declined” on an unfamiliar site
- Call your bank directly to verify whether your card actually has an issue
- Always type website addresses directly into your browser — don’t click links in emails or ads
- Check that the URL starts with “https://” and is spelled correctly
- Use a credit card (not debit) for online purchases for better fraud protection
- Set up purchase alerts with your bank so you’re notified of any charge immediately
- Research unfamiliar websites on BBB.org before buying
Source: BBB — ‘Card Declined’ Error May Lead to Multiple Fraudulent Charges
What To Do Next
These three scams are all very different, but they share one thing in common: they’re designed to make you act fast without thinking. Whether it’s the excitement of a job offer, the fear of a lawsuit, or the frustration of a declined card — scammers are counting on your emotions to override your judgment.
Here are some immediate steps you can take right now:
- Talk to your family. Share this week’s Friday Blotter with anyone you know who is job hunting, answers calls from unknown numbers, or shops online. These scams target everyone.
- Set up bank alerts. Contact your bank or credit card company and ask about purchase notifications. Getting a real-time alert when your card is charged can help you catch fraud immediately.
- Bookmark BBB Scam Tracker. Visit BBB.org/ScamTracker to report scams and check whether others have reported a suspicious business, website, or phone number.
- Check your local court records. If you ever receive a call claiming you’re being sued, go directly to your local court’s website and search your name before doing anything else.
- Never pay to get paid. No legitimate employer will ever ask you to send money to receive your own paycheck. If someone does, it’s a scam.
Final Thoughts
I know it can feel overwhelming sometimes — like scammers are everywhere and getting smarter every week. And honestly? They are. But here’s the good news: the more you know about how these scams work, the harder it is for them to work on you.
The job scam works because it starts small and builds trust. The process server scam works because it triggers fear. The card declined scam works because it mimics something that really does happen. Once you understand the why behind each scam, you start to see the pattern — and the pattern is always the same: create urgency, trigger emotion, and get you to act before you think.
So slow down. Take a breath. Ask questions. And when something feels off, trust that feeling.
Stay safe out there, and I’ll see you back here next Friday. As always, if you found this helpful, share it with someone you care about. The best protection against scams is a well-informed community.
— Nancy Hardman, Friday Blotter
