New BBB report shows 25% increase in scams due to pandemic Annual Scam Tracker risk report reveals 1 in 2 reported scams noted financial loss Updated: Tags: More than 46,000 scams nationwide were reported to the Better Business Bureau Scam Tracker in 2020. At the end of the year, the BBB looks at the numbers, amount of money lost, types of scams and more to find new trends. This year, the annual risk report shows trends influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. “The pandemic is the perfect storm when you think about,” said Julie Wheeler, president and CEO of BBB Serving Western Virginia. From the large demand of PPE and vaccine sign-up or simply people adjusting to online everything, scammers took advantage of it all.