Complaints about scammers claiming to be friends, family, a romantic interest, companies or government agencies to induce people to send money or divulge personal information. Complaints include the following: scammers posing as friends or relatives stranded in foreign countries without money; scammers claiming to be working for or affiliated with a government agency; and scammers claiming to be affiliated with a private entity (e.g. a charity or company).
Internet Auction: Non-delivery or late delivery of goods; delivery of goods that are less valuable than advertised; failure to disclose all the relevant information about the product or terms of the sale; etc.
Internet Services: Problems with trial offers from Internet Service Providers ("ISPs"); difficulty canceling an ISP account; issues with Internet entertainment services, Internet gaming, and social networking services; undisclosed charges; website design and hosting services; spyware, adware, and malware issues; etc.
Investment Related Complaints: Investment opportunities in day trading; gold and gems; art; rare coins; etc.
Magazines and Books: Pitches for "free," "pre-paid," or "special" magazine or book subscription deals; etc.
Mortgage Foreclosure Relief and Debt Management: Complaints about mortgage lenders, brokers, and other entities making false promises to save consumers’ homes from foreclosure; mortgage refinancing, mortgage term modifications, and debt management issues; credit organizations charging excessive fees, making false promises to provide free services, pay creditors, or reduce interest rates.
Office Supplies and Services: Fraudulent or deceptive offers for toner, copier paper, maintenance supplies, equipment maintenance contracts; classified advertising and yellow page invoice scams; website cramming schemes; etc.
Prizes, Sweepstakes and Lotteries: Promotions for "free" prizes for a fee; foreign lotteries and sweepstakes offered through the phone, fax, e-mail or mail; etc.
Real Estate: Complaints about deceptive and misleading practices involving real estate agents and companies, real estate appraisers and appraisal services, real estate consultants, real estate property management, and real estate land developers.
Shop-at-Home and Catalog Sales: Problems, such as undisclosed costs, failure to deliver on time, non-delivery, and refusal to honor a guarantee, with purchases made via the Internet (not including auction sales), telephone, or mail.
Telephone and Mobile Services: Complaints about charges for calls to "toll-free" numbers; unauthorized charges such as charges for calls consumers didn’t make; unauthorized switching of consumers’ phone service provider; misleading prepaid phone card offers; unsolicited mobile text messages; problems with mobile applications or downloads; other mobile device problems; etc.
Television and Electronic Media: Problems with TV reception, installation, billing, and promotions for cable/satellite providers; miscellaneous problems with music/DVD/video game purchases.
Travel, Vacations and Timeshare Plans: Deceptive offers for "free" or low-cost vacations; cut-rate student travel packages; misleading timeshare offers; etc.
