How To Avoid Falling Victim To Sly Financial Scams

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – In 2023, internet crime victims reported $12.5 billion in losses, according to the FBI . There’s also been an uptick in complaints filed by elderly victims.

From cryptocurrency scams, and call center schemes, to falsely claiming to buy your timeshare property – scammers are getting increasingly savvy in their targeting efforts. A longtime IRS criminal investigator joins Gabby on the New Mexico News Podcast this week to discuss his mission to inform people what to look out for.

“Very intelligent people fall for scams because these scammers are much better than they were 10, 15, 20 years ago,” explained Brian Watson, a former IRS Criminal Investigator who now works as a Community Outreach Specialist for the nonprofit, R.O.S.E .

“Time is your friend to prevent being scammed,” Watson adds. “You want to take a time out, you want to get a second opinion.”

How can you and your circle of family and friends avoid falling victim? What are the five tell-tell signs of a financial scam?

Watson discusses those answers and more in the full discussion above.

Download new episodes of the New Mexico News Podcast every Tuesday, starting around 5:30 a.m., Mountain time. Episodes are available on most podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Podbean among others. The podcast is also now available in a video version on KRQE’s YouTube page.

Having trouble finding the show? Try searching your favorite podcast player with the term “KRQE” or “New Mexico News Podcast” (without the quotes). You can also use the links above to find the podcast on each service or listen to the audio player at the top of this post.

If you have a question, comment, or suggestion for who should be interviewed on the podcast, let us know! Email the hosts at chris.mckee@krqe.com or gabrielle.burkhart@krqe.com.

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