Scams & Fraud

If there is one thing we know, it’s that criminal scammers are not stupid. They often use cutting-edge technologies to make their schemes more sophisticated and harder to detect. However, these same technologies can – and should – be used to protect people as well.

It’s the season of giving, and for those in the spirit, telling the difference between a real charity and a con can be a challenge.

Most of us do it several times a day. We have a question, need a phone number or are looking for a website, so we open a search engine and type in our request. What happens next is becoming more and more dangerous.

The holidays are a time when friends and family of all ages gather together, share updates on their lives and recount cherished memories. One thing to add to that list this year: a conversation on how to stay safe from fraud.

The holidays are a time when friends and family of all ages gather together, share updates on their lives and recount cherished memories. One thing to add to that list this year: a conversation on how to stay safe from fraud.

South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley joined AARP South Dakota for a recent tele-town hall on fraud awareness.

Most of us do it several times a day. We have a question, need a phone number or are looking for a website, so we open a search engine and type in our request. What happens next is becoming more and more dangerous.

If there is one thing we know, it’s that criminal scammers are not stupid. They often use cutting-edge technologies to make their schemes more sophisticated and harder to detect. However, these same technologies can – and should – be used to protect people as well.

As the holiday season approaches, the quest for unique and personalized gifts has led many to explore the world of DNA testing. Ancestry and heritage research, uncovering potential health risks and building family trees have become increasingly popular motivations for submitting DNA samples. However, beneath the allure of these discoveries lies a cautionary tale, as safety raises significant concerns.

In a “Phantom Hacker” scam, a scammer calls, texts, or e-mails a victim posing as a computer technician and falsely tells the victim that the victim’s computer or other electronic device has a virus or has been hacked. The scammer tells the victim that the victim’s financial accounts are at risk. A scammer’s accomplice will then pose as an official from either a financial or government institution and convince the victim to move money from the financial accounts that are allegedly at risk in order to “protect the funds.” Often, the scammer has the victim transfer the victim’s funds into an account the scammer promises is safe, but in reality, is controlled by the scammer. In another variation, the scammer has the victim purchase valuable items, such as gold, and sends a courier to pick up these items from the victim’s home for “safekeeping.”