[co-author: Stephanie Kozol]*
On June 18, Arizona Attorney General (AG) Kris Mayes, in partnership with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), announced a new consumer educational campaign aimed at teaching Arizona residents how to avoid falling victim to a variety of scams. The education campaign targets consumers lacking awareness of such scams, especially senior citizens. The series of video public service announcements (PSAs) aims to enable Arizona consumers to spot and avoid scams on their own. According to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, Arizona residents lost approximately $392 million due to consumer fraud in 2024. The AG’s office received almost 22,000 consumer complaints, answered more than 28,000 phone calls, and reviewed more than 23,000 emails from consumers regarding potential fraud during this time.
The PSA campaign with the BBB features four videos that provide consumers with insights on protecting themselves against unfamiliar scams. The videos feature Mayes along with former television reporter and current associate vice president of public engagement and investigative outreach for the BBB, Joe Ducey. These videos address:
- Fraudulent Celebrity Scams – Scammers use artificial intelligence (AI) to create fake videos of celebrity endorsements. The video directs viewers to both the AG’s and the BBB’s websites to report potential scams.
- Moving Scams – Moving scams involve a moving company creating a “hostage load,” where the moving company initially agrees to perform a move for an initial low price but that price balloons once items are loaded into the moving truck. The video provides educational content related to moving scams, including how they happen, how they work, how they may be detected, how to know if a mover is reputable, and how to report a scam if one is spotted.
- Crypto Scams – Mayes reports that Scottsdale residents have lost more than $5 million to cryptocurrency scams in the recent months. The AG cautions against wiring money or sending a Bitcoin payment to unfamiliar recipients, as these requests are typically scams.
- AI Scams –Mayes warns about the proliferation of AI scams. She advises anyone receiving a call requesting a wire payment of Bitcoin to hang up immediately. This video encourages reporting the scam to the AG and the BBB.
The videos each have companion press releases providing further information on protecting against scams. The press releases contain lists of tips for consumers to keep in mind when dealing with a potential scam. For example, Mayes recommends that consumers familiarize themselves with deepfake technology and AI-generated imagery. Mayes also recommends developing a codeword to share with family members to help prevent impersonation scams.
Why It Matters
Fraudsters are always looking for new angles and new victims for their various schemes. The proliferation of new technologies, such as AI, allows for new forms of fraud. In the modern consumer protection landscape, AGs like Mayes are creative and innovative in their efforts to stop these schemes — including the official partnership with the BBB.
Moreover, the partnership between Mayes and the BBB demonstrates the relationships between the BBB and state AGs. Their overlapping missions focusing on consumer protection are frequently complementary. AGs (and private litigants) frequently rely on information provided to and/or collected by the BBB in consumer protection investigations. Companies should consider how consumers and the BBB view their business practices, BBB profiles, and BBB business ratings as one measure to help improve their reputations and manage regulatory scrutiny.
*Senior Government Relations Manager
