🏆 A “BBB Manager” Saying You Won $3.5 Million, a Picture-Perfect Product That May Not Be Real, What the FTC’s New Report Says About Scams and Older Neighbors, and Your Calm First Steps If You Clicked: Your Scam Watch for This Week

Or: If It Costs You Money to Get Money, It Isn’t a Prize

By Thomas Seest, Dunlap.Today · Saturday, October 24, 2026

Good Saturday morning, neighbors. The weekend’s here, the coffee’s hot and there’s no rush on anything, which is exactly the right speed for this week’s list. This week’s tricks share one easy tell: they hand you something wonderful, then ask you to pay to pick it up. A prize that needs a gift card. A gift that only exists in a picture. A “can’t-miss” investment in your social media feed. Nothing here calls for worry. Each item comes with one simple step, and we’ll finish with a calm, plain checklist for the morning after a click.

Here’s what’s on the line: the Better Business Bureau serving Middle Tennessee says callers are pretending to be the BBB and telling folks they’ve won millions; BBB also warns that computer-made (AI) product photos can sell things that don’t exist, just as holiday shopping picks up; the Federal Trade Commission released its yearly report on scams and older adults, with a few numbers worth knowing; and we lay out what to do first if you already clicked or paid. The BBB prize call is a Tennessee warning from Middle Tennessee. The rest are national, and they reach right into Valley phones and Facebook feeds all the same. We haven’t seen a Sequatchie County report of the prize call, but phones don’t stop at county lines.

⏱️ What this means for you in 30 seconds

• A caller says he’s with the BBB and you won millions? Hang up. The BBB says it doesn’t call about prizes.
• Told to buy a Green Dot or other gift card to collect? That’s the scam, every time. Real prizes are free.
• A holiday gift looks “too perfect” online? Look up the seller with “BBB” or “scam” after the name, and pay with a credit card.
• A money tip or “investment” in your social media feed? The FTC says older adults lose more to investment scams than anything else. Talk to someone you trust first.
• Already clicked or paid? Don’t panic. Call your bank or card company first, using the number on the back of your card.
• Need local help? In Dunlap, call police at (423) 949-3319 or non-emergency dispatch at (423) 949-9912.

🏆 “This Is the Executive Manager for the Tennessee BBB. You Won $3.5 Million.” No, You Didn’t.

Statewide: Better Business Bureau serving Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky

On Oct. 23, the Better Business Bureau serving Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky warned about callers pretending to be the BBB itself. According to the BBB, a Middle Tennessee woman got a call from a man who called himself the “Executive Manager for the Tennessee BBB.” He told her she’d won $3.5 million and that she needed to buy a Green Dot prepaid card at a nearby store to collect it. She recognized the request as suspicious and hung up without buying anything. Good for her. The BBB confirmed the call was a scam and said the number traced back to an internet calling service, which can make callers hard to track down.

“BBB does not call people to announce unexpected lottery winnings or require consumers to purchase prepaid cards to collect a prize,” said Robyn Householder, president and CEO of the BBB serving Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky.

What it means for you: It’s like a fellow knocking on the door to say you’ve won a prize steer, and all you have to do is pay him for the trailer. If you never entered, there’s no steer, and there’s no trailer either. Scammers borrow trusted names, and the BBB is about as trusted as they come, so this one sounds respectable. Remember the rule the FTC uses: real prizes are free. If anybody asks you to pay up front, or to read off a gift card number and PIN, hang up. If you want to check, look up the organization’s number yourself. In our corner of the state, that’s the BBB serving the Chattanooga area at 423-266-6144.

👉 Read more (FOX 17: What the BBB says about this fake lottery call) · Davidson County Source: BBB warns Middle Tennessee residents

🖼️ That Gift Looks Picture-Perfect? A Computer May Have Painted the Picture

National: Better Business Bureau

Holiday shopping is just around the bend, and the National Retail Federation projects sales will hit a record $1 trillion this year, according to a report from KFVS12 on Oct. 21. With so much buying online, the Better Business Bureau says some unreliable sellers now use artificial intelligence (AI) to make convincing photos of items that aren’t really for sale, or that look nothing like what shows up at the door. “It’s very difficult to spot what is AI-generated now because they do look so realistic,” said Raechel Cantoni of the BBB. “I always say if it looks overly perfect, there’s a good chance that that is AI.” The BBB says the same tools can also produce fake celebrity endorsements, fake customer reviews and even whole copycat websites.

What it means for you: Think of a quilt photo where every stitch is flawless and the light hits it just so, but nobody ever sewed it. The BBB’s advice comes in three easy steps: pause before you click, verify before you buy, protect before you pay. Type the seller’s name into a search with “BBB” after it and see what others say. Remember that anybody can buy an ad, so seeing it in your feed doesn’t make it trustworthy. Pay with a credit card when you can, and treat requests for gift cards, cryptocurrency or wire transfers as a big red flag. And if you get a delivery text for something you don’t remember ordering, don’t tap the link.

👉 Read more (KFVS12: Seeing isn’t always believing when it comes to AI and online shopping)

📊 The FTC’s New Report: Where Older Neighbors Are Losing the Most, and Why Reporting Helps

National: Federal Trade Commission

On Oct. 19, the FTC sent Congress its yearly report on protecting older adults, called Protecting Older Consumers 2025-2026. A few numbers stand out. Fraud losses reported by adults 60 and older grew about fivefold from 2020 to 2025, from about $600 million to about $3 billion, driven largely by a growing number of very large individual losses. Reported losses to investment scams jumped 42% in 2025 to over $1 billion, and people often said scammers first reached them on social media. Folks 80 and over reported a median loss of $2,000.

There’s good news in there, too: the FTC says older adults reported losing money less often than younger adults, and filed reports where they lost nothing at much higher rates. In other words, a lot of our older neighbors are spotting scams and telling on them. The FTC says older adults were more likely than younger folks to report losing money to tech support scams; prize, sweepstakes and lottery scams; romance scams; government impersonators; and scammers pretending to be friends or family.

What it means for you: It’s like the county extension office telling you which pests are hitting the gardens hardest this year. It doesn’t mean your garden’s in trouble. It tells you where to look. This year, that’s money pitches in your social media feed. A real investment never needs you to hurry, keep a secret or move money because a stranger online said so. If someone you’ve never met in person brings up investing, stop and talk it over with family or your own banker. And keep reporting, even when you didn’t lose a dime. The FTC says those reports help it build cases and warn others. If an older adult has lost money to fraud, the U.S. Justice Department’s National Elder Fraud Hotline is at 1-833-372-8311.

👉 Read more (FTC: Annual report to Congress on protecting older adults)

🖱️ Already Clicked or Paid? Here’s the Calm Order of What to Do

National: Federal Trade Commission guidance, for Valley readers

It happens to careful people every day. A link looked real, a voice sounded official, or you were just tired. The FTC says scammers pick payment methods that are hard to trace, so speed matters more than shame. Here’s the order the FTC lays out, depending on how you paid:

• Gift card (like Green Dot): Call the company that issued the card, using the number on the back. Tell them a scammer tricked you into sharing the number and PIN, and ask for a refund. Keep the card and the receipt.
• Credit or debit card: Call the number on the back of your card and ask them to reverse the charge.
• Bank transfer or Zelle: Call your bank or credit union right away and ask them to reverse it.
• Payment app (Venmo, Cash App, PayPal): Report it in the app right away and ask for a reversal.
• Wire transfer (Western Union, MoneyGram): Call the company, tell them it was a scam and ask for a refund.
• Cash in the mail: Call the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at 1-877-876-2455. For a fee, they may be able to stop the package.
• Gave out a password: Change it, change it anywhere else you used it, and turn on two-step login.
• Gave out your Social Security number: Go to IdentityTheft.gov for a step-by-step recovery plan.
• Let someone into your computer: Update your security software, run a scan and change your passwords.

What it means for you: It’s like a pot boiling over. You don’t stand there scolding yourself. You turn down the burner first, then wipe up. Make the money call first, then the password, then the report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to local police. Then tell somebody you trust. The scam only wins if it stays quiet.

👉 Read more (FTC: What to do if you were scammed)

✅ Your Front-Porch Scam Checklist

• ✅ The BBB doesn’t call to tell you that you’ve won money. Hang up.
• ✅ Real prizes are free. Paying to collect means it’s a scam.
• ✅ Never read a gift card number or PIN to anyone over the phone.
• ✅ A product photo that looks “overly perfect”? Look up the seller with “BBB” or “scam” after the name.
• ✅ An ad in your feed isn’t a recommendation. Anybody can buy one.
• ✅ Pay online with a credit card so you can dispute a charge.
• ✅ Investment tips from strangers online get a “let me talk to my family first.”
• ✅ Clicked or paid? Call your bank or card company first, then change passwords, then report it.
• ✅ Report scams even if you didn’t lose a penny. It helps warn your neighbors.

The practical rule: If you have to pay to get your prize, your package or your profit, keep your money in your pocket and hang up.

— Dunlap.Today

📚 Plain-English Glossary

• Impersonator: Someone pretending to be a person, business or office they’re not, like the BBB, a bank or a government agency.
• BBB (Better Business Bureau): A nonprofit that rates businesses and collects scam reports. It doesn’t run lotteries or give out cash prizes.
• Prepaid card (like Green Dot): A card you load with cash at a store. Once a scammer has the number and PIN, the money can vanish fast.
• PIN: The secret number on the back of a gift card or prepaid card. Sharing it is like handing over the cash.
• AI (artificial intelligence): Computer tools that can create realistic pictures, voices, videos and writing, including fake ones.
• AI-generated image: A picture made by a computer program, not a camera. It can show a product that doesn’t exist.
• Investment scam: A pitch promising big or guaranteed returns that takes your money instead of growing it.
• Median loss: The middle amount: half of people lost more, half lost less.
• Chargeback (dispute): Asking your credit card company to reverse a charge for something you didn’t get or didn’t authorize.
• Two-step login (two-factor authentication): A second check, like a code texted to you, that keeps others out even if they learn your password.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Better Business Bureau ever call people about prizes?

No. Robyn Householder, president and CEO of the BBB serving Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky, said the BBB doesn’t call people to announce unexpected lottery winnings or require anyone to buy prepaid cards to collect a prize. If someone claiming to be the BBB calls about a prize, hang up.

I read off a gift card number to a caller. Can I get the money back?

Maybe, if you act fast. The FTC says to contact the gift card company right away using the number on the back of the card, tell them a scammer tricked you, and ask for a refund. Keep the card and the receipt. Then report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

How can I tell if a product photo is AI-made?

It isn’t always easy. The BBB says if it looks overly perfect, there’s a good chance it’s AI. Instead of judging the picture, check the seller: search the business name with “BBB” or “scam,” read reviews on other sites, and pay with a credit card so you can dispute the charge if it doesn’t come or isn’t as shown.

What did the FTC’s new report find about older adults?

The FTC says adults 60 and older reported about $3 billion in fraud losses in 2025, up from about $600 million in 2020. Investment scams were the biggest category, at over $1 billion, often starting on social media. The FTC also found older adults report losing money less often than younger adults.

Who can help an older relative who lost money to a scam?

Start with their bank or card company. Then report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to local police. The Justice Department’s National Elder Fraud Hotline (1-833-372-8311) helps older adults who’ve lost money, and the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline (877-908-3360) is free for anyone.

I already clicked a link or paid someone. Is it too late?

Act quickly, but don’t panic. Call your bank, card company or payment app using the number on your card or statement and ask them to reverse the payment. Change any password you gave out and turn on two-step login. Then report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, to the Tennessee Attorney General at tn.gov/consumer and to local police (Dunlap Police: (423) 949-3319). If your Social Security number was taken, IdentityTheft.gov has a step-by-step plan.

🔗 Other Resources

• FOX 17: Fake BBB lottery call warning · Davidson County Source: BBB warns Middle Tennessee residents
• KFVS12: AI and online shopping
• FTC: Report to Congress on protecting older adults
• FTC: What to do if you were scammed · IdentityTheft.gov
• BBB Scam Tracker · Chattanooga BBB: 423-266-6144
• AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline · 877-908-3360
• National Elder Fraud Hotline (U.S. Justice Department): 1-833-372-8311
• TN Attorney General: Scams, Schemes & Swindles
• Report a scam: ReportFraud.ftc.gov · FBI: ic3.gov

🌄 Rest Easy: The Good Things in Life Don’t Send You a Bill First

Here’s the calm takeaway: the BBB isn’t calling with your millions, a too-perfect picture deserves a second look, money tips from strangers online can wait for a talk with family, and even if you clicked, a quick call to your bank puts you back in charge. Every trick on this week’s list dangles something good and then asks you to pay to reach it. Real prizes, real packages and real investments don’t work that way. Take your time. That pause is the best lock on the door.

Share this with the neighbor who loves entering contests, the friend already shopping for Christmas, or the relative who spends a little time on Facebook each evening. We’ll keep watch and bring you what’s new. Read Dunlap.Today and sign up for our newsletter for plain-English scam alerts and Valley news.