Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced a partnership with 11 other Attorneys General, the Federal Trade Commission, the Better Business Bureau and other agencies on “Operation Main Street” — a joint effort to alert small businesses to scams designed to defraud them and offer tips to avoid being scammed.

In Pennsylvania, Attorney General Shapiro warned small businesses to beware of these scams:

• Non-Order Scam — Scammers attempt to charge and collect from small businesses for toner, light bulbs, cleaner or other supplies which the businesses never ordered.

• Impostor Scam — Scammers impersonate the government or another public entity to try to trick small businesses into paying for licenses or registrations they do not need.

• Fake Invoice Scam — Scammers send fake invoices to small businesses to deceive them into paying for merchandise or services they did not receive.

“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy across our Commonwealth, and my Bureau of Consumer Protection does whatever it takes to protect them from being scammed,” Attorney General Shapiro said. “If you’re a small business and you think you’ve been scammed, I want to hear from you. Call us, email us — we’re here to protect you. I’m proud to partner with a bipartisan group of Attorneys General, the FTC and others on this important action.”

There are nearly 1 million small businesses (999,591) in Pennsylvania, and small businesses employ 2.4 million workers across the Commonwealth — 47.3 percent of the private sector labor workforce.

Attorney General Shapiro encouraged small businesses to email scams@attorneygeneral.gov or 800-441-2555 to report any scam perpetrated upon their business.

The Better Business Bureau issued a scam report today that surveyed 1,200 small businesses nationwide. The results show that 67 percent of respondents believe there is a growing number of scammers targeting small businesses. The joint sweep announced involved 24 total actions against defendants who perpetuated scams against small businesses across the country.