Scams against all age groups and demographics are on the rise in Ohio with no promise of going away anytime soon.
Con artists have become so active in the area that the Ashland Police Department reported a 62% increase in fraud and forgery cases in April and May over the two months prior.
Earlier this spring, the FBI announced its Internet Crimes Complaint Center had noticed a 14% increase in allegations of fraud against older adults in 2023 than the year before, which led to 11% more losses than in 2022.
And a search on LinkedIn, an employment-focused social medial platform, reveals scammers have begun attacking business professionals without hesitation.
Gift cards are never used as a form of payment
Obtaining money and information are the primary goals of most scams, according to a news release provided by Sgt. Curt Dorsey, a detective with the Ashland Police Department.
"We want to remind the public to be aware of some of the common scams we see daily," Dorsey wrote.
The detective said government entities never personally threaten residents into sending money.
"Don't send money if you have never personally met the individual requesting it," Dorsey wrote.
Companies and government bodies never request gift cards, or the numeric code from a gift card, as a form of payment. Anyone who suggests gift cards of any type be used as payment is only trying to hide their attempted theft in an untraceable way.
'If the deal seems too good to be true, it likely is a scam'
Internet accounts are often the target of ne'er-do-wells, when accessed through both a browser and an application.
"If you are purchasing something, we recommend using a buyer-protected service for the transaction," Dorsey said in the release. "Apps are very convenient for sending money, but they are prone to scammers. Ensure you read the app's terms to confirm that you are a protected spender. Also, if the deal seems too good to be true, it likely is a scam."
Users should never provide any account information to a person who contacts them claiming their profile has been hacked. Companies and internet platforms never request money in exchange for repairs to an online account.
"Ignore those messages," Dorsey wrote. "Feel free to block that person and report the profile to moderators."
Even online dating profiles have become a battleground for scammers as they attack people in their most vulnerable moments.
"They may ask for money under the guise of needing it to come and see you, making excuse after excuse," Dorsey wrote. "These cases are difficult because the relationship feels real, but it's not. The scammers are very good at manipulating multiple people at once into a relationship. Recognizing these tactics empowers you to protect yourself. If you are about to send someone money and you feel uneasy about it, call your local police."
'The average victim of elder fraud lost $33,915'
When scammers prey upon older adults, the FBI reports, they often expect quite a payday when their vile tactics are successful.
"Scams targeting individuals aged 60 and older caused over $3.4 billion in losses in 2023 − an increase of approximately 11% from the year prior," an FBI news release reads. "The average victim of elder fraud lost $33,915 due to these crimes in 2023."
In 2023 alone, more than 101,000 Americans age 60 and older were targeted by scammers. The FBI has noticed age groups are attacked incrementally less as they get younger − there were only 18,000 scamming victims under the age of 20 last year.
"Personal data breaches, confidence and romance scams, non-payment or non-delivery scams, and investment scams rounded out the top five most common types of elder fraud," the FBI news release reads.
Professionals warn one another about common scams every day
Working professionals can fall victim to scammers as easily as anyone else.
Many ploys reported by businesspeople on LinkedIn include fake correspondence from banks and credit card companies. One of those scams came as an email disguised as being an effort by the credit card company to protect their client from online phishing − in reality, it was attack from a phisher tricking the victim into actual fraud.
Professionals seeking employment often report being scammed by people who claim they will help them find a job or clean up their resume, but only if they pay a small fee − those promises then are never kept.
Other businesspeople reported finding small invoices from seemingly innocuous company names that they almost paid, but then researched and discovered were really fake charges.
Ohioans are urged to report scams to the Ohio Attorney General's office online at ohioattorneygeneral.gov/reportascam.
ztuggle@gannett.com
419-564-3508
Most Popular
Comments / 0