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Attorney General Mike DeWine
Top Phone Scams
During National Consumer Protection Week
(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—In recognition of National Consumer Protection Week,
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today warned consumers about five of
the top phone scams reported to his office.
“Every day, there’s a scammer who picks up the phone, tells a big lie,
and tries to get money from someone in Ohio,” Attorney General DeWine
said. “No longer do thieves have to rob a bank to get cash. They just
pick up the phone, tell a very detailed, believable story – and smart
Ohioans all over the state fall for their scam. We want to help
consumers avoid falling for con artists' lies, and education is the
best way we can help consumers be aware of their schemes.”
In 2014, the Ohio Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Section
received approximately 1,200 complaints about phone scams. Consumer
victims regularly report losing hundreds or thousands of dollars.
Some of the most prevalent or most costly scams include:
IRS Imposter Scam – Con artists call pretending to be the IRS. They
claim the consumer must immediately send payment or be arrested or
thrown in jail. Hundreds of consumers have called the Attorney
General’s Help Center to report this scam. In a few cases, consumers
reported sending between $2,000 and $28,000 to the ploy.
Sweepstakes Scam – Consumers receive a call saying they have won an
international lottery or sweepstakes prize. In order to collect the
winnings, however, the victim is told to send money for processing
fees, taxes, or other costs. In reality, it’s all a scam. In 2014, the
Ohio Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Section received over 150
complaints about sweepstakes phone scams, including dozens of consumers
who reported losing $40 to $190,000.
Grandparent Scam – Scammers pretend to be a grandchild in trouble and
call grandparents asking for immediate payment. The “grandchild” may
claim to have been in a car accident, caught with drugs, or arrested.
Grandparents are told to wire money or to buy a prepaid card and
provide the card’s numbers to the caller. In 2014, more than 40
consumers filed complaints about the grandparent scam. The average loss
was over $4,700.
Computer Repair Scam – Consumers receive a call from someone who
falsely claims to represent Microsoft or another computer support
service. The caller says the consumer’s computer has a virus and
offers to fix the problem, often asking the consumer to give the caller
remote access to the consumer’s computer (which allows the caller to
access the consumer’s computer from far away). Instead of fixing the
problem, the caller locks the computer, takes the consumer’s personal
information, or charges the consumer.
Grant Scam – In a typical grant scam, consumers receive a call saying
they have won a federal grant worth up to $10,000. To receive the
grant, the caller says the consumer must send a few hundred dollars to
cover taxes, insurance, or other costs. In reality, there is no grant.
In 2014, consumers reported losing between $60 and $6,000 to the ploy.
To help consumers avoid these and other phone scams, Attorney General
DeWine also unveiled a new phone scams checklist, which is designed to
be a quick reference sheet, kept near the phone, to help people detect
the signs of a phone scam.
A copy of the phone scam checklist can be found on the Ohio Attorney
General’s website.
Attorney General DeWine’s office also is issuing a “Video Tip of the
Day” during National Consumer Protection Week. Those videos will be
posted on social media.
Each year, representatives from Attorney General DeWine’s Consumer
Protection Section conduct over 200 educational events across the
state. During National Consumer Protection Week alone, they are
participating in over 20 events.
A list of events can be found on the Ohio Attorney General’s
website.
To report a scam or for help resolving a consumer complaint, consumers
should contact the Ohio Attorney General’s Office at
www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov or 800-282-0515.
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