“Despite the modern bling of Internet scams, it's hardly surprising that old-line phone scams remain popular. Voice-to-voice contact personally engages a consumer in real time. Trained hucksters can adroitly push emotional buttons that exploit a victim's fears, gullibilities or blind hope for easy money. Scams involving Medicare, Obamacare and fake health insurance rely heavily on the personal touch of phone pitches,” said James Quiggle, Director of Communications, Coalition Against Insurance Fraud.

In fact, almost half (42.8%) of those filing complaints said they were contacted by the fraudsters via the telephone, a 6.49% increase over 2013. Other methods of contact included the Web (30.97%), email (15.71%) and old-fashioned snail mail (6.92%).

Here's a look at the top methods scammers used to collect money from consumers.

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1. Internet and general merchandise

We've all purchased items on the Internet. In this case, scammers either didn't deliver the goods or what they sent was misrepresented in terms of quality. It's not unusual for some scammers to use photos from well-respected and recognized retailers to sell their inferior quality goods.

2. Prizes/Sweepstakes/Free gifts

The old adage, “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is” certainly comes into play here. The scammers often request payment for fictitious prizes, gifts or even lottery winnings.

3. Fake check scams

The number of fraudsters perpetrating fake check scams has dropped seven points from number one to number three. This scam involves providing fake checks for work that was done or items being purchased from the victim.

4. Recovery or refund companies

Also known as phantom debt scams, these frauds are the fastest growing scams and involve a fraudster contacting a victim claiming to be collecting on unpaid debts. Consumers who question the debt have been threatened with jail time, legal action or other consequences. This scam jumped 6.23% from 2013.

5. Advance fee loans & credit arrangers

With this scam, consumers are offered personal or business loans for an upfront fee. Even those who have poor credit have been contacted by companies that offer to help them improve their finances and credit scores.

6. Computer equipment and software

There are several computer scams and one of the more recent ones involved Ransomware, where a hacker holds a victim's computer hostage until he or she pays a “ransom” to unlock the computer. Other scams involve individuals who “offer” technical support for computer problems or charge a fee to fix a non-existent problem.

7. Scholarships and grants

Beware of search companies offering to conduct a personalized search for scholarships or grants for students. Scammers frequently charge a fee and don't provide any information or they provide a worthless list.

8. Phishing/spoofing

Emails trying to get credit card numbers and other personal information are still very popular. They frequently ask targets to verify existing personal information or tell them there is a problem and they need to log into their account through a particular link so the information can be captured and sold. Look for typos, poor grammar and other hints to these fake emails. Most reputable retailers and financial institutions will not request this type of information via email.

“Many of these schemes can heist people's identities. Call it the theft that keeps on thieving, because the ID schemes can take years to halt, and at great cost to the consumer victim,” says Quiggle.

9. Friendship and sweetheart scams

Some con artists will start an online “relationship” with the targets and gain their trust. Then they convince the victim to send them money for an “emergency” or some other seemingly legitimate reason.

10. Office: Ad space and directory listings

Sometimes telemarketers call to ask for confirmation of a building location or an organization, then fake invoices are sent for non-existent charges.

The good news with many of these scams is that consumers are getting smarter about how they send money to these scammers. Previously, wire transfers were the preferred method of payment, but in 2014, more victims (48%) reported paying by credit card.

“Credit card transactions are a safer way for consumers to pay for products since they can dispute fraudulent charges with their credit card company,” said John Breyault, NCL vice president of public policy, telecommunications and fraud. “Unfortunately, when a fraud victim sends money via wire transfer or prepaid debit card, the chances of getting their money back are much lower.”