BBB’s Lisa Swanson on Cybersecurity and Scam Prevention

The Best Way to Stop a Scam? Report It.

By-Hank Stolz
Photo- submitted

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Worcester, MA- October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and Lisa Swanson, CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Central New England, has just returned from the final session of the BBB Institute’s national Fighting Financial Fraud program, where we explored some fascinating research and resources for preventing financial fraud and supporting people who’ve experienced scams.

Why Reporting Scams Matters

Here is what she told us. “Hank, one of the most important things we can do to protect people from scams is encourage them to report what they’re seeing.”

Lisa said, “When we think about cybersecurity, we often think about protecting our devices, passwords, and personal information. But just as important is protecting ourselves from the people using technology to deceive us — and that’s where recognizing and reporting scams becomes so powerful.”

BBB Scam Tracker Helps Consumers Avoid Financial Losses

BBB estimates that Scam Tracker helped consumers avoid nearly $38.9 million in potential losses nationwide in 2025 alone.

Lisa pointed out that, “with recent updates to Scam Tracker, you can search for scams by keyword, location, phone number, or website. There’s even an interactive map to explore trends in your community.”

Visit BBB.org/ScamTracker.