Iowa officials, AARP kick off campaign to stop spread of imposter scams
The target audience for Tuesday's kickoff of a statewide Stop the Scammers campaign in Des Moines was clearly older Iowans, but the tips offered to avoid scams apply to everyone.
A few important ones:
Don't respond to urgent pleas for money by phone, even if the caller sounds like a family member. Call that relative at a number you know and verify the situation.
Don't send money to someone you've never met in person, no matter how well you think you may know them.
Don't answer calls or texts from unknown numbers. Add your number to the National Do Not Call Registry at 888-382-1222 or donotcall.gov.
Don't give out sensitive information such as credit card or Social Security numbers to unfamiliar people or companies if you haven't initiated the conversation.
Don't be afraid to report fraud to local law enforcement or the Iowa attorney general's Consumer Protection Division.
Check out people trying to see investments or insurance by contacting the Iowa Department of Insurance and Financial Services.
As imposter scams, particularly those using artificial intelligence, have swept the country, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, the Iowa Department of Insurance and Financial Services and AARP Iowa launched the 18-stop fraud education campaign this week.
AARP Iowa State Director Brad Anderson said scams using artificial intelligence, particularly those in which the perpetrators use the phone number or voice of a grandchild, have been growing and have become "incredibly dangerous." Such imposter scams have been the dominant type of fraud tracked by the Federal Trade Commission in Iowa for nine years running ― more than investor, online shopping or other scams, Anderson said.
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Bird said nothing makes her madder than seeing what scammers are trying to pull on Iowans to empty their bank accounts, including people impersonating U.S. Internal Revenue Service employees, police and grandkids.
She said her office works with prosecutors around the state when perpetrators of imposter fraud are located in Iowa, but it can be difficult to prosecute offenders when they're not.
Insurance Commissioner Doug Ommen said his office wants to gather evidence and detect investor fraud early ― before people have been taken. "Because once money has been stolen, it's more difficult," he said.
To attend one of the events, RSVP at iowafraudfighters.gov/stop-the-scammers-event or call 515-635-1991.
Lee Rood's Reader's Watchdog column helps Iowans get answers and accountability from public officials, the justice system, businesses and nonprofits. Reach her at lrood@registermedia.com, at 515-284-8549, on Twitter at @leerood or on Facebook at Facebook.com/readerswatchdog.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Stopping imposter scams is goal of new Iowa-wide campaign
