With scams on the rise, it’s important to be very careful

KEMMERER — “It’s not a matter of if, but a matter of when you’re going to see fraud. You’ve gotta get comfortable with being uncomfortable having these conversations,” said First Bank Vice President and Branch Manager David Benton.

Benton, who has over 20 years of experience in the banking industry, is no stranger to monetary scams.

“Our tellers are the first line of defense a lot of the time,” he said. “We train a couple of times a year to spot fraud, and we’re catching a lot of it. Most of the scams we’re seeing now involve something that’s just too good to be true,” like the sale of vehicles, for instance.

Benton said many people are close to falling for scams due to legitimate-looking websites from unsolicited links provided to intended targets.

“We’re seeing a lot of wire fraud right now, too,” Benton said.

He said scammers take advantage of good people willing to help.

“We’re a very giving community,” Benton said. “They really pull on people’s heartstrings. Good, smart people fall victim all the time because they want to help out others [who are] in dire straits.”

Potential scam victims may receive calls from purported lawyers reaching out on the behalf of relatives in trouble. These phone calls usually involve applying pressure and a sense of immediacy, he said.

“Most complaints we see are attempts to scam the elderly out of money by claiming a family member is in trouble or in jail,” said Uinta County Undersheriff Trevor Rasmussen. “They don’t want to break the law; they’re trusting, especially when they think the information is coming from a deputy. It’s hard to get in front of.”

Rasmussen said residents are receiving calls displaying the sheriff’s office number on the phone’s caller ID.

“We’re not sure how they’re doing it, but we’re trying to keep up. Offer to call them back,” he said.

Rasmussen further advises readers not to dial back using the call history, but to manually type the verified phone number.

In addition to hijacked caller IDs, Rasmussen said voice-cloning deep fakes are on the rise.

“A woman’s own mother couldn’t tell the difference between her daughter’s voice and one manufactured by AI (artificial intelligence),” he said.

One frustrating aspect to law enforcement and victims alike is that arrests for scams such as these are rare.

“Every once in a while, we get lucky with an arrest,” Rasmussen said. “But most of these scammers are out of our jurisdiction, and we have to reach out to the FBI. A lot of times they can’t even tell you where they’re coming from.”

He said the sheriff’s office doesn’t operate the way the scammers portray, anyway.

“They present limited information, then create a sense of urgency. Pressure is the biggest thing,” Rasmussen said.

“… A deputy is not going to call someone with a warrant, and we do not collect money unless it’s a direct property exchange like a foreclosure. You’re going to see our faces — we’ll show up in person,” he said.

Cpt. Kirby Lamb added that law enforcement officers do not call for bonds or fines.

“We will never ask for it over the phone,” Rasmussen said. “Also, never give out any personal information over the phone.”

Both Lamb and Rasmussen maintain that, in general, Wyomingites don’t want to distrust people and stop to help their neighbors.

They said that because victims are embarrassed, law enforcement only hears about a fraction of scams, sometimes only after the fact, when time breeds anger and frustration and desire for retribution.

They also said to be wary of online romances.

“Suspicion levels seem lower with romance scams,” Lamb explained, “and they hit deeper in the pockets.”

Buying and selling online can also put a target on your back.

“If you’re selling something, a [fraudulent] buyer will ask you to ship the item, but it’s paid with a bad check. … By the time you figure it out, the property is gone,” Lamb said.

Both Benton and Rasmussen said many of these scams are perpetrated through requests for gift cards, cryptocurrency or digital and wire transfers, personal checks, money orders and cashier’s checks written for over the amount due with the implication of the scammer receiving the overage back.

“Digital currency, once it’s gone, it’s impossible to track, and it’s probably overseas,” Rasmussen said.

If in doubt, inquire and verify the method of payment. Return the company’s phone call directly using a phone number you’ve procured yourself — not one that was provided to you by the caller. Call the courthouse or law enforcement directly to confirm there’s an active arrest warrant. Call your loved one back directly to confirm the details of their situation.

“This can happen to anybody and everybody, but I think people are getting smarter,” Rasmussen said.

“But the scammers are getting better at it, too,” Lamb added.

While every report is investigated and taken seriously, justice may be elusive.

But Rasmussen said that shouldn’t deter anyone from reporting a suspected scam.

“I would encourage reporting for a couple of reasons,” he said. “One, each report provides information that could be linked to others and then a case could be built. And two, we don’t know there’s a problem unless we’re informed there’s a problem. Education helps build our tool kit. Enough reports can be like putting a puzzle together. Every piece of information is valuable.”

Both Benton and Rasmussen gave nearly identical statements during separate interviews with the Herald.

“If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is” was the general consensus.

Both agencies also recommended that, if there are questions or concerns, not to be afraid to stop by, visit and ask.

Social media has created a false sense of safety, Rasmussen said.

“The digital barrier makes us so much more open,” he said. “People tend to be more trusting, and our information is on a world stage.”

Benton said, “It’s about garnering information. Not just social security numbers, which most people recognize as sensitive, but other information from online questionnaires that seem harmless can reveal passwords or usernames.”

Information like family surnames, childhood nicknames, addresses and birthdates can innocuously reveal passwords, or pin numbers.

During the course of Rasmussen’s hour-long interview with the Herald, he reported that he’d received three suspicious, spam-like phone calls that he did not answer.

“A little bit of suspicion goes a long way,” he said, “but it’s a fine line between suspicion and paranoia.”

Lamb said, “Don’t answer phone calls from numbers that you’re unfamiliar with. If it’s important, they’ll leave a message.”

According to First Bank literature, scams are perpetrated in a variety of ways. Scammers may pretend to be someone you know, likely distressed. They might also present themselves as a business, a charity or even a government entity.

Scammers might also inform you that you’re in trouble, or you’ve won a prize. They might even convince you that there’s a virus on your computer. They’ll convince you that all your problems can be solved, or prizes will be issued, once you pay a fee, or deposit.

Benton also cautions consumers to be aware of cash-back reward programs that seem too good to be true, or the rewards outweigh the participants’ investment.

A scammer will often pressure potential victims to act immediately.

He’ll threaten arrest, or revocation of their driver’s licenses or advise targets not to hang up — because that would allow them time to gather their thoughts and conduct an investigation of their backstory.

Finally, scammers will insist that targets transfer money in particular ways, including but not limited to: cryptocurrency, wire transfer, purchasing gift cards and providing the serial numbers on the backside. Bad checks are nothing new, but do not accept checks from unknown parties as, once it’s cashed, they’ll have access to important account information and your signature.

Benton also encourages regular reviewing — at least every 30 days – of bank accounts, as most fraud committed by card skimmers have time limits to file claims.

When buying or selling items online, Benton recommends that people take their time, and do their due diligence. Don’t buy anything, or put down a good faith deposit on anything without seeing it in person first.

Be wary of accepting paper payments such as personal checks, money orders or cashier’s checks, all of which can be counterfeit.

If in doubt, a person should stop and talk to someone he or she trusts.

“Fortunately, we’ve developed a rapport and sense of trust with our clients that they come in to bounce ideas off of us, or inquire about whether or not something is legitimate,” Benton said.

“We often hear ‘I didn’t want to bother you,” Rasmussen said. “But we’re accessible; we want to answer these questions. Reach out to us any time.”

This story was published on July 23, 2024.