Scam jam
By BRIAN WALKER
Staff Writer
A recent surge in imposter scams is not fake news.
That was among the messages of the Idaho Attorney General's Office on Wednesday during a statewide telephone town hall arranged by AARP Idaho.
"The scams that seem to be affecting our citizens most frequently are the imposter scams," said Brett DeLange, chief of the AG Office's Consumer Protection Division. "These are mostly phone calls, but there are some emails."
So-called imposter scams vary, as the con artists identify themselves as anyone from a jury commissioner to a representative with Microsoft.
However, the common thread is that the scammer pretends to be someone they’re not in order to get money from the target.
"The stuff floating around right now that we’re dealing with are scams targeting veterans because they have consistent income coming in from government checks, Social Security and Medicare," said Randy Simon, AARP Idaho communications director.
"That’s really just the tip of the iceberg though when you factor in charity scams, disaster recovery scams and tech support scams. They’ve got several ways to separate older folks from their money."
AARP members said they've even received bogus calls that show up as their friends or relatives on the caller identification system.
"When I asked the caller how they got my husband's number, he wouldn't answer me," one woman said.
DeLange called such scams a "valid concern."
"Spoofers have the technical ability to spoof numbers within your call list," he said. "You can't even always trust caller ID. At the first instance you realize it's not (your friend or relative), hang up."
The IRS scam in which residents are called and told they owe money or they'll be arrested is still prevalent, Simon said.
A caller purporting to be from the Internal Revenue Service claims the target owes back taxes. The tax problems will disappear, the scammer says, if the recipient of the call pays the taxes via gift cards or iTunes cards.
However, residents should be aware that the IRS initiates contact via U.S. mail. If you receive a call from someone saying they’re from the IRS, hang up, DeLange said. If you have any concerns about your taxes, initiate contact with IRS to inquire.
Other recent scams — or variations of them — that are common in Idaho include:
- Grandparent scam: This scam targets grandparents. A caller poses as a grandchild in legal trouble, often in a foreign country. The caller asks the grandparent to help get them out of trouble by sending money via gift cards or money order.
- Social Security Number scam: A caller pretends to be a government official or law enforcement officer and claims someone in another state is using the target’s social security number. The caller may even be able to recite the last four digits of the target’s number. The recipient of the call is then asked to share the rest of their SSN to confirm that the "official" on the other end of the line has made contact with the correct person. The main goal of the scam is to steal the victim’s identity.
- Utilities scam: This scam usually targets small businesses, often restaurants. A scammer pretends to be from the utility company and, because of past-due bills, threatens to cut off service unless payment is made immediately. Utility companies encourage recipients of such calls to hang up and call their customer service lines.
- Publisher’s Clearing House scam: The caller tells the target they’ve won the Publisher’s Clearing House sweepstakes or a similar prize. In order to cover the related fees and taxes upfront, the "winner" must send money — often several thousand dollars — right away.
- Arrest warrant scam: The caller claims a warrant has been issued for the target’s arrest, but if he or she pays the imposter, the warrant will disappear.
- Jury duty scam: The caller pretends to be a local official notifying the recipient of the call that they recently missed jury duty. In order to avoid large fines and/or stiffer punishment, the target must send payment immediately.
- Microsoft/Apple tech scam: A scammer calls the victim and claims the person’s computer is infected with a virus. The call may come after the victim clicks on a link on Facebook and a popup warning appears on the computer screen. The scammer pretends to be with "tech support" and promises to fix the computer for payment, often $499. A consumer should never click on questionable links that pop up and claim the consumer’s computer is infected.