Lincoln East Rotary Club heard from Ryan Sothan, who is the Outreach Coordinator in the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office. Ryan talked to us about Scams and Fraud in Nebraska. Ryan travels to the 93 countries in Nebraska, as well as, visit many of the schools in Nebraska letting them know about the different type of scams and fraud that happens every day. He has been doing this for the last 13 years.
Nebraska does rank favorably in compared the other 50 states. Overall we rank 47th and in Fraud we rank 45%. The lower you are, the better you are in complaints. There has been a 6% increase since 2020 in 60+ individuals being scammed. If you look at population in complaints it about 35% for those 60+ who are targeted by fraud or scams.
How do they go about doing the scams/fraud? It is done through phones, texts, emails. Most of these are not even living in Nebraska or the U.S. They come from overseas and most of them are from overseas. Today they can regulate some of these scams through regulatory procedures and technology. If you happen to tell someone else about what happened to you, they also become aware of what is happening and know what to watch out for so they don’t get scammed.
There are several different types of scams. They are: Imposter Scams, Identity Theft, Home Repair Scams, Auto-related Scams, Online Shopping, Telephone & Mobile Scams, Health Care, Internet Service, Travel, Vacations, and Tiimeshares, and Debt Collection scams. Ryan told us about how some of these scams happen. Two of those are the top ones: Imposter and Identity Theft.
Imposter Scams – They may pose as friends or relatives stranded in foreign countries without money; others claim to be working for or affiliated with a government agency. Whatever you do look for warning signs that might indicate a scam: a) You might receive a call or email saying won a price or that something is terribly wrong – taxes unpaid, your government benefits are lost, a family member is in trouble, or your computer has been compromised. The caller asks you to send money immediately preferably by wire transfer or gift card. Credit cards or checks are discouraged. Caller may ask to access your computer or other confidential information such as your Social Security number, date of birth, bank account, or credit card numbers. If the caller is insistent and offers to call you back or stays on the line while you do what they are asking you to do. You should never respond to calls requesting your personal information. If you realize or suspect a scam, hang up!
Identity Theft – This one that tops the list of consumer complaints reported nationally. Look for warning signs of identity theft: You are denied credit, you get a notice from the IRS about a tax debt that you do not believe is yours, you find charges on your credit card or withdrawals from your account that you don’t remember making, personal information, credit cards, ATM cards, checks, or IDs have been stolen from you, or you suspect someone has fraudulently changed your mailing address. They will hook you by Phishing, which is a form of misrepresentation which is designed to trick you into revealing your confidential information. This comes in several forms, often appearing as messages from businesses you trust. Mail Theft is another one where thieves are prone to stealing mail, looking specifically for pre-approved credit card and insurance offers. Family, Friend, or In-home Employee where half the time, the thief is a family member, friend, neighbor, in-home employee, or someone at a business that you frequent. Skimming Devices where someone skims the information on a credit card is copied and loaded onto a fake card to be used fraudulently. This occurs most frequently in restaurants and at gas pumps.
How you can prevent this is not to carry your Social Security or Medicare card in your wallet; be wary of requests by phone; secure your information; shred it; protect your computer; check your credit regularly; and consider placing a freeze on your credit reports.
The most popular five scams are: Imposter schemes, business imposters, family and friends, Government Official and Romance scams. There is also the tech support scams, so watch out those because they get into your computer saying they need to fix it. The Romance Scams target those between 20 or 30 years of age and 55+ or above. Stay off their website, don’t go a “Chat” but you could a video chat, which would show the person where you can do a image search.
Ryan told us many use to ask for a Green Chat Pack card, which now has become the Vanilla Visa which is easily accessed throughout the world. If any one ask you to scan the front and back of a card, don’t do it because once you send that information, they have gotten you in their scam.
If you want more information you can go to: ProtectTheGoodLife.Nebraska.gov