By: Lydia Crawley, The Parsons Advocate
The office of West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey’s Consumer Protection Division has issued a warning to citizens of the State regarding various scams that have been circulating around the state in the month of March.
In total the Division received 314 complaints in the month. The top five complaints came from Medicare Scams; Robo Calls for such things as Final Funeral Expense Loans, etc; Phishing/Computer Scams; Credit Card Scams with scammers posing as credit card companies who claimed that there were purchases made on the customer’s credit cards and Grandparent Scams.
“With the emergence of new technology, it is more important now than ever to be vigilant and careful,” West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey said. “Our office is always here to help consumers who have fallen for scams and we encourage people to report to us so that we can obtain more details and warn others.”
The Division also reported a rise in the use in Artificial Intelligence in the perpetration of scams, particularly in the field of voice cloning, as well as deepfake videos and images, AI-powered phishing and predictive targeting and chatbots. The Division reported that one victim of a Grandparent Scam reported that the voice of the scammer sounded exactly like her grandson, but was not him. Another report entered the office that an online advertisement for social security benefits used the likeness of President Trump and RFK, Jr. The Division said the ad was a deepfake and has since been removed.
The Attorney General’s Office provided some ways citizens can protect themselves from potential scams and scammers.
• Be aware that criminals can “spoof” phone numbers – Your caller ID may show familiar numbers that aren’t actually calling
• Hang up and call back using numbers you have on file if calls seem suspicious, don’t engage with callers
• Be wary of any contest winnings, especially if you didn’t enter
• Research before you trust – Verify identities, companies, and claims independently
• Keep detailed records – Document all interactions with service providers and financial transaction
The Division also provided the following advice as to what citizens should not do to protect themselves.
• Never provide personal or financial information over the phone – to unsolicited callers
• Never pay anyone with gift cards – Legitimate companies don’t accept gift cards as payment
• Never pay money to claim prizes – Real contests don’t require payment
• Never send money to people you haven’t met in person – This includes online romantic interests
• Don’t handle money transfers for strangers – You could unknowingly participate in money laundering
• Never accept or forward packages for online acquaintances – This may involve illegal activity
To find out more about scams and ways to protect from them or to file a scam report, go to ago.wv.gov or call the Consumer Protection Hotline and speak with the Scam Coordinator at 1-800-368-8808.
