In the first half of 2007, the Better Business Bureau received 7,068 complaints on a range of scams, unethical business practices, poor quality of service received and many more issues that have turned consumers into victims.

The Top 10 “Dirty Rotten Scams” for the first half of 2007 include:

Unlicensed Home Repair Contractors -- The home repair and construction industries are continuously near the top of the list for complaints to the BBB. Unlicensed contractors can do damage to your home and cost you money. Because they don’t pay for a license or a bond, or for workman’s comp insurance or liability insurance, they can operate for substantially less than licensed contractors can. You risk substandard work and materials by hiring an unlicensed contractor and then you have no compensation for bad work. If you are asked to pay in advance for home repair services, you risk not having the work completed and losing the money you have paid.

Mortgage Foreclosure, Credit Repair, Payment Plan Financing and Advance Fee Loan Services -- These types of businesses target people who have little or no credit or poor credit. If you are struggling financially and need assistance to save your home, pay your bills, buy a computer via weekly payments or repair your credit, you could be an easy target for scammers who promise to solve all your financial problems. If you have to pay a large fee up front for these types of services, you will likely never see that money again and you also won’t save your house or repair your credit or receive the personal loan or computer you were buying over time.

Foreign Lotteries -- You may have gotten a phone call, an e-mail, a fax or a letter that proclaims - “You're the Lucky Winner!”Congratulations! Your name was on a lottery ticket that was recently drawn and you won $3 million dollars!" Then, in your state of overwhelmed excitement, you are told that you have to wire money to pay the taxes on the lottery winnings. In a new twist, the scammers will send you a fraudulent check or money order as a sign of "good faith," telling you to go ahead and deposit the check, and then wire them the money to pay the taxes on the lottery prize. Unfortunately, you probably will wire the money from your own savings before you learn that the lottery check is fraudulent. By that time, it’s too late. The money you wired is in the scammer’s bank account in another country – Nigeria, Spain, Canada or many others.

Auto Repair Scams -- If you're the typical car owner, you may not know much about how your car works. This lack of knowledge gives unscrupulous auto mechanics the opportunity to prey on you. You may take your car in with a small problem, but you may leave with a big bill for parts and labor you didn’t actually get or probably didn’t need. If you have a problem with your car while it's still under warranty, follow the manufacturer's requirements, which may include having repairs made at an authorized dealership. If your car is no longer under warranty and you're looking for a qualified, independent repair shop, ask friends and family for recommendations and check with the Better Business Bureau. Always get a written estimate in advance for parts and labor. Make sure the estimate states that the shop will contact you for approval before performing any work exceeding a specified amount of time or money. When you pick up your car, ask the service manager to explain all work completed and all replacements made. If the shop guarantees its work, get the guarantee in writing.

Work at Home and “Mystery Shopper” Scams -- The hottest “work at home” scams promise big money for people to work as “mystery shoppers.” Consumers are looking for extra income and flexible hours and businesses nationwide do use mystery shoppers. However, there are many bogus companies that offer to help you secure a mystery shopping job. Scammers have now combined these promises with a cashier’s-check scam. The consumer is contacted with an offer to be a “secret shopper” and test the effectiveness of a money-wiring service. They are sent a cashier’s check, told to cash it, keep a small percentage of the money as their commission, and then wire the rest to a pre-determined international destination. The checks, however, are counterfeit and the offer is a scam. If you are looking for legitimate companies that hire mystery shoppers, visit mysteryshop.org.

Online Job Postings -- You can't believe your luck! You applied for a job on the Internet and you got it! All your new job requires you to do is deposit money that is sent to you by the “employer” and when instructed, you withdraw the money, write a check and send it to your new “employer.” Or, you may be sent products that you have to repackage and ship out of the country. In most cases, this is a scam and what you are really doing is laundering money or shipping stolen property out of the country for your new “employer.” Even if you are not aware of the true nature of the “work,” you could still end up in legal trouble. If you believe you may be involved in an illegal money-laundering or reshipping scam, you should report your suspicions to law enforcement.

“Phishing” -- The Better Business Bureau, the Department of Justice, the IRS, Bank of America, eBay and many other businesses have been victims of “phishing” scams where scammers “spoof” these email addresses and send fraudulent spam e-mail messages claiming to be from one of these companies. These fraudulent messages look very official and may state that there has been a problem with your account, or a complaint has been lodged against you and you need to click on the link in the email to update your account or correct information in your files. When you click on the link and input your personal information, you will likely become a victim of identity theft or your computer could be infected with a virus. These spam messages are hoaxes and should be deleted immediately.

“Free” Puppies -- Both the AKC and Better Business Bureaus across the country have recently received numerous reports from consumers who have lost money after responding to online or newspaper ads for “free” puppies. Communicating solely through emails, the scammers may claim that they need to find new homes for their puppies. The consumer can end up losing hundreds of dollars before they realize they have been conned when the scammers require the consumer to pay bogus shipping fees upfront for puppies that don’t exist. Because of the emotional investment, consumers are more vulnerable to being taken advantage of when buying a puppy than with any other purchase. A dog is a major investment - educate yourself and find a local breeder.

Cell Phone Hackers -- We use our cell phones to make calls, send emails, schedule meetings and surf the internet. An estimated 600,000 cell phones will be reported lost or stolen this year. If your phone is lost or stolen, you may get a very high phone bill or you may have your personal information stolen. But even if you don’t lose your cell phone, it’s still vulnerable to hackers—or “Phreakers,” as they’re called. Phreakers can hack into your cell phone by simply walking by you and then they listen in on your calls or steal personal information without your knowledge by exploiting the short-range Bluetooth wireless connection between the phone and headset.

“Free” Offers -- Legal, but deceptive, lead generation advertising lures unsuspecting consumers with free product promotions. Offers range from gift cards to iPods, flat screen TVs to iPhones. BBBs nationwide have logged more than 5,200 complaints against online and direct mail marketers. If you respond to a “free offer,” you may have to jump through considerable hoops, and still not receive the “free” merchandise you were promised or you may get billed for merchandise you didn’t want.

The Better Business Bureau of the Southern Piedmont has the following advice for consumers:

• Always check a business out before you buy!
• Never give personal information out over the telephone to someone who calls you!
• If it sounds too good to be true, it is!
• “Free offers” aren’t free.
• The big print giveth and the small print taketh away. Always read the fine print.
• You have not won a foreign lottery!
• You are not the person who will “get rich quick” from investment or real estate deals.
• If you don’t know the sender, don’t download email attachments such as “e-cards.”
• Scammers “phish” for personal information using look-alike email addresses. Don’t take their bait. Delete emails and attachments from sources you don’t know.
• Never reply to an email that asks you to give personal information over the internet regardless of how legitimate the email address may look.
• If you suspect that someone is trying to scam you, report it to the police or the Better Business Bureau.