Residents should be cautious to avoid scams – InkFreeNews.com

The Federal Trade Commission says that in 2023, emails replaced tests as the most commonly used tool by scammers, followed by phone calls as the second most commonly reported contact method for fraud. Adobe Stock Photo.

By Terri Dee
Indiana News Service

INDIANA – The FBI says Indiana’s older population has lost nearly $38 million in fraud last yearaccording to a new report.

The Federal Trade Commission says scammers are using weather disasters like the recent hurricanes to lure unsuspecting Hoosiers into paying dollars to a bogus charity.

Scammers also use technology to trick voters into donating to a fake political cause or spread false information.

Matt Schiltz, an attorney with the Federal Trade Commission Midwest Office, said impostor scams are the most commonly reported type of fraud.

“Unfortunately, we’ve seen reports of people using artificial intelligence to clone voices,” Schiltz said, “or at least trying to, so the caller can sound like a friend or a family member or a famous person , a politician”.

He said if you’ve received suspicious phone calls or emails asking for money or private information, slow down and talk to a trusted family member or friend before taking action.

Please investigate the information before taking any further action. Schiltz says scammers often want their victims to act first and think later.

The FBI report ranks Indiana 25th on the list of the 57 most defrauded US states and territories.

Schiltz said scammers create new, more persuasive scams by improvising on old ones.

A scammer posing as a bank employee contacts a potential victim and informs them that they need to move their money to another account for protection against counterfeiting or government seizure.

The employee offers to transfer the funds to a second employee – in fact, the scammer’s accomplice – who transfers your money to his account.

Schiltz said the agency is working on several different fronts to combat imposters.

“The FTC has a new impersonation rule that gives the agency stronger tools to fight scams,” Schiltz said. “And we actually brought our first case under the impersonation rule earlier this year.”

Consumers should visit ftc.gov/impostersto learn more about the different types of scams. Schiltz encouraged anyone with knowledge of a scam to contact the agency at reportfraud.ftc.gov.