Sheriff’s Office reports uptick in scams

Improved technology, the internet, and AI have all contributed to more sophisticated and successful fraud and scam operations, and larger payouts. The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office has seen a big uptick in scams recently including one that resulted in over $12,000 being stolen from a county resident, according to Sheriff Scott Rose.

“We recently took a report from a citizen who received a text message from 96923 (Free Message Fraud Center MDT Bank), Rose said.

The message was inquiring about a charge at Walmart (located in Texas) in the amount of $265.67 and to reply Y or N. The citizen replied ‘N’ and was immediately called from a number which showed up on caller ID as MBT Bank. The person on the phone confirmed the transaction and stated they had locked the account and opened an investigation.

The citizen was then asked to change the password on her account to a temporary password, which they did. Finally, the citizen was advised that they could still use the debit card even though the account was locked. This citizen checked their account over the next few days and didn’t see anything else out of the ordinary. Four days later there were 14 transactions totaling $9,999 in missing funds. A few days later another $2,500 in transactions.

“This particular incident was with MDT Bank but it could happen with any bank. My wife and I have fraud alerts like this on all our bank accounts as do many of us.” said Sheriff Scott Rose. “I used my bank card the other night and received the same alert because my online purchase was out of state. I pressed ‘Y’ to approve the purchase and my charge was approved. The message I responded to was basically the same message that this family responded to that eventually cost them over $12,000.”

Computer virus scams are also being reported. These scammers pose as your virus protection provider on your computer and convince you to click on a link (for a virus update, a scan, etc.) that actually download viruses, spyware, and/or other unwanted software. Often these are bundled with free downloads of other programs.

These programs that they download can show them your personal data, your email, saved banking information, social media accounts, etc. Tech support scams like these cost victims over $800 million in the U.S. in just one year in 2022.

One of the typical scams the Sheriff’s Office hears about is people getting phone calls from officials regarding a family member who has been arrested and needs money, Rose said.

These scammers can be very convincing and often target seniors, sometimes resulting in hundreds or thousands of dollars lost. We are being warned now with AI, Rose said, scammers will have the ability to clone a family members voice to make it sound like it’s your actual loved one calling you for help.

Talk to your family members about scams. NEVER give out any information over the phone unless it’s to someone you called and know. If you do receive a message on your phone or online and it appears to be from your bank or credit card, look up their actual phone number and call them (don’t use numbers listed in the message.) Don’t click on popups online. Avoid online purchases from popups like those on social media — purchase online only from vendors you know and trust.

Make sure you have up-to-date virus protection and a firewall on your computer system. You didn’t win if you didn’t sign up for it. If it’s too good to be true, then it is! Talk to seniors about the dangers of scams online and on their phones. We also recommend credit monitoring companies as well as freezing your credit, Rose said.

“These investigations are difficult at best to solve because of technology and the fact that many of these criminals are out of state or out of the country. Unfortunately, when the money is gone, 99% of the time it’s gone for good. With fraud and scam prevention, education is key. Our best defense is educating the public on how to protect themselves from becoming victims before it happens.”

The Federal Trade Commission has a website with good info and suggestions on how to better protect yourself: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/phone-scams