MILWAUKEE — The Better Business Bureau of Wisconsin has released a new report highlighting just how common online scams have become during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lisa Schiller of the BBB said puppy scams have become the number one most-reported online crime. 

She said puppy scams, in which consumers thought they were buying pets from fraudulent websites or sellers, made up 35% of online scams, according to the new report.

Other commonly-purchased, fake products included clothing and shoes.

Schiller said the BBB found the number one driver of people falling victim to the scams was price point. She said they often got sucked in to phony websites, or fake advertisements, because of the low prices advertised.

In a news release, the Wisconsin Better Business Bureau said 47% of victims found the fake websites through Google searches and 17% found them through Facebook pop-up advertisements. Schiller said the latter number continues to grow.

Of those who fell victim to the scams, the BBB found 74% of people never received the item they purchased. A total of 13% of people said they did receive an item, but that the purchase was fake or broken. An additional 13% of victims reported that they received a totally different item than what they'd bought.

Schiller said, because most of the hackers behind these websites are located overseas, it's highly unlikely that the people who payed money into the scams will see any of it back.