Text claims you owe tolls or there's a package at Amazon you didn't order are likely to be scams.
The saying, “that won’t happen to me,” is as much of a scam as the scammers themselves and it can happen to anyone at any age.
Sponsored by Douglas County TRAID, Better Business Bureau Vice President Timothy Johnson and Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. John George presented a Scam Seminar to a room of more than 30 people Friday at the Douglas County Community and Senior Center.
The seminar focused on educating attendees about scams; what to look for, how to prevent them, and emphasizing the importance of scam education to play a good defense against fraud.
Johnson highlighted the tactics scammers use and the types of scams including robocalls, identity theft, and investment scams particularly in cryptocurrency.
He said, though the ages vary, and it can happen to anyone, the most targeted are the elderly and it’s usually a trusted person or business.
“Seniors are more likely to have more savings, own their home, have excellent credit, and may have more to lose,” said Johnson.
He also said they’re also less likely to report they’ve been scammed, because of shame, embarrassment, loyalty, dependency, fear of retaliation, denial and self-blame.
“Scammers’ tactics are to inflict fear and a feeling of urgency,” said Johnson. “Do this now, or this will happen, act now or lose out on this special offer.”
There are four signs of a scam; scammers pretend to be someone or an organization you know, they say there is a problem or a prize, they pressure to act immediately, and they usually request payment in a specific way.
Johnson said he has been tracking fraud and identity theft for 16 years and he said Nevada ranks fourth in reports of fraud and third in identity theft.
“In that time, Nevada has ranked also ranked in the top five and has ranked in the top 10 for identity theft reports in all, but one year,” said Johnson. “So, we know it’s in our state and there’s really no data analysis to determine what the cause is or why Nevada ranks where it does. Is it because Nevada reports more? We don’t know. That’s’ why it’s important to report though.”
The best way to protect yourself from scams is to regularly check your bills, check your bank and credit statements for purchases or withdrawals you did not make, and to report the scam whether you were a victim of theft or were attempted by a scammer.
If you have been involved in a scam or know someone who has, contact the companies where fraud has occurred, ask for the fraud department explain someone stole your identity and tell them to freeze your accounts. Call and report the identity theft to bank and credit unions, then change all logins, passwords, and pins to your accounts. Report identity theft to www.indentitytheft.gov or for Spanish www.robodeindentidad.gov and receive and free personalized recovery plan.
Resources:
www.bbb.org -Better Business Bureau
www.bbb.org/scamtracker - report a scam or scam attempt.
www.FINRA.org/investors -Helpful resources to be a fraud fighter and help others learn to spot and avoid fraud.
www.sherrif.douglascountynv.gov/services
www.Experian.com/help or call 888-387-3742
www.transunion.com/credithelp or call 800-685-111.
www.annualcreditreport.com – free credit reports