Top 10 Scams in 2013

Each year, using our experience and a wide range of sources, we forecast rankings for the major scam categories during the upcoming 12 months.

For 2013, we were pretty near the mark. Let's take a quick look at the outturn in reverse order (with our predictions in parentheses).

10 (10) Dating and sweetheart scams. This cruel trick lures lonely-heart victims into handing over money to the scammers for supposed travel or even extortion.

9 (9) Investment scams. As we suggested, low interest rates throughout 2013 and imaginative con tricks continue to draw even seasoned investors into schemes promising high returns but delivering only heartbreak.

8 (8) Advance fee scams. We've seen some clever new games in this field, in which victims are asked either to pay upfront for dubious or non-existent services or to refund part of an overpayment made on a dud check.

7 (6) Economy related scams. This one slipped a notch below our expectations because of the modestly improving economy, but phony job schemes, rip-off payday loans and mortgage reconstruction schemes still abound.

6 (7) Imposter/grandparent scams. This trick, in which the scammer poses as a distressed relative in urgent need of money was one of the big movers in 2013, pushing it up a place in our chart.

5 (5) Hit-and-run scams. This is our catch-all category for a wide range of con tricks in which the aim is to relieve victims of their money as quickly as possible -- like bogus charity collections and home repairs.

4 (4) Malware. This category is now under the control of organized crime, evidenced by the growth of ransomware during 2013. It locks up victims' PCs until they pay for the unlocking "key."

3 (3) Bogus Internet sites and fraudulent online sales. 2013 was a record year for online spending, which means it was probably also a record year for shoppers being tricked into buying from non-existent online stores. We also include auction and online classified ad fraud in this category.

2 (2) Lottery/sweepstakes/prize draws. A notable feature in 2013 was the size of losses chalked up by some victims who ended up paying six figure sums to try to get hold of their non-existent "winnings."

1 (1) Phishing and ID theft. From simple phone requests for victims' credit card details to large-scale hacking of corporate databases, this crime now accounts for something like one in every five scams.