ORLANDO, Fla. – Imagine a national neighborhood watch that gathers, files and tracks scams reported by consumers in every city in America.
That's the basic premise behind Scam Tracker, a website being used by a few Better Business Bureau offices, including Boston, Phoenix and Hawaii, as a sort of high-tech dress rehearsal for a national debut later this year.
The site posts locations and incidents of various reported schemes, along with a full description of the con game by the targeted consumer.
Holly Salmons, of the Central Florida BBB, said Scam Tracker is "currently in beta testing in a few BBBs nationwide."
Salmons said she will advise Local 6 as soon as it is "available in wide release and fully operational."
The site was inspired by Target following the now infamous 2013 "Target Hack." The 2013 holiday-season hackers impacted an estimated 40 million debit and credit card accounts.
So far the Scam Tracker has gathered nearly 1,700 scam reports, including incidents in Central Florida, Miami and Jacksonville.
Salmons stresses that the concept only works if consumers take the time to report. She asks that local consumers remember to alert Central Florida's local BBB when a scammer contacts them "so that we may warn other consumers."
You can contact the local BBB by clicking here.