Melissa “Mel” Trumpower is the executive director of BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust (BBB Institute), the 501(c)(3) educational foundation of the Better Business Bureau. In her role, Mel is the primary spokesperson for the organization, speaking at conferences and to the media regarding BBB Institute’s initiatives and research. BBB Institute’s programs include a wide array of fraud prevention and small business programs, including the Fighting Financial Fraud program and the Military and Veterans Initiative.

She is the co-author of several research reports, including the BBB Scam Tracker Risk Report (2017-2021), the BBB Online Purchase Scams Report (2020 and 2021), the BBB Employment Scams Report, and the new Online Scams Report (2022). Under her leadership, BBB Institute launched a new-and-improved BBB Scam Tracker platform in 2022. The online tool enables consumers to report scams and/or search scam reports to empower them to avoid losing money when targeted by fraud. In 2022, BBB Scam Tracker helped people avoid losing an estimated $21 million.