Tennesseans lost more than $18 million to scammers last year, according to new data released from the state, which makes Tennessee the fifth-leading state per capita when it comes to complaints about fraud and other scams.
The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance is urging Tennesseans to learn the red flags that might indicate a scam and always report suspected fraud to local law enforcement.
Tennessee had 53,014 complaints of fraud and other reports compared to 43,579 last year. The top three complaint areas, according to the Federal Trade Commission, were debt collection, imposter scams and identity theft.
TDCI is reminding people to be wary of unscrupulous and illegal practices of debt collection agencies.
Debt collectors are not allowed to harass, oppress or abuse consumers or any third parties they contact.