With the beautiful weather over the last several weeks, many have already gotten started on their home improvement projects, but beware of scammers. Unlike other scams, with home improvement scams you typically get the service, but it isn’t always quality work and can cause more problems than what you were trying to originally fix. It seems like a lot, but Julie Wheeler, president and CEO of BBB Serving Western Virginia said doing the homework on the front end will save you the hassle on the back end. Around this time of year, Wheeler said some contractors, a lot of times roof repair and pavement contractors, go door to door offering to do services with leftover supplies. Home improvement scams are fifth on the BBB’s 2020 list of riskiest scams across the U.S.For 11 tips from the BBB on hiring trustworthy contractors, click here.

Spring cleaning doesn’t just apply to your home, the Better Business Bureau recommends you do some digital cleaning too. April is Digital Spring Cleaning Month. Digital spring cleaning is cleaning up your online presence and protecting yourself from identity theft, credit card fraud and a list of other problems you really don’t want to have. Julie Wheeler, BBB Serving Western Virginia’s president and CEO, recommended people start with apps on their phones and computer. To take your digital spring cleaning up a notch, click here for additional tips.

More than 46,000 scams nationwide were reported to the Better Business Bureau Scam Tracker in 2020. The BBB scam tracker saw nearly 25% more reports in 2020 compared to 2019. “Locally, the (government agency) imposter scams were number one followed very close to online scams. His regret is finding out about the BBB Scam Tracker after the fact. The FTC found the gift cards scammers ask for the most are Ebay, Google Play, iTunes, Amazon and Target.

Valentine’s Day is just a few days away, but don’t let it make you vulnerable to scams. With love in the air, Julie Wheeler, president and CEO of Better Business Bureau Serving Western Virginia said people become more vulnerable and the number of romance scams become more popular. Beware of demands by a match to send money . For a look at the BBB’s study on romance scams and the different stages, click here. The BBB advised to keep your guard up for multiple types of flower delivery scams.

ROANOKE, Va. – As more people opt for online shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic, cyber security experts are weighing in on how you can keep your personal information safe. Volunteers with Roanoke InfoSec Exchange (RISE) say that a couple key steps to follow when shopping online include making sure you are using a dependable site, creating a strong password for your account, and making sure all your devices are up-to-date. “Make sure that you have your software update, make sure that you have everything up-to-date, because attackers are always looking for vulnerable opportunities,” cyber security expert Rob Garbee said. Another good piece of advice to follow is if a deal seems too good to be true, it likely is. For more information from RISE on how to shop online, you can visit the website here.