Take A Stand, Don't Be Scammed

Bank of Commerce CEO Copper France, Carbon County Sheriff Alex Bakken, and Carbon County IT Director Matt Webster were guest speakers at Tuesday Talks on April 23 to discuss the subject of Online Scams.

France handed out booklets and memos on how people can protect themselves from becoming victims of fraud. France, Bakken, and Webster spoke to the audience about what they could do to protect themselves.

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), online scammers use email or text messages to trick potential victims into giving them personal and financial information. The FTC said there are several ways to protect yourself. The first step is to recognize Phishing. Phishing is a fraudulent practice of sending emails or other messages that purport to be a reputable company. In some cases, scammers will pretend to be a Home Depot or a Wal-Mart to lure you to pay a bill that you don’t owe.

The FTC also said scammers will use different devices to try to steal passwords, account numbers, social security numbers, or any personal information. Scammers will also attempt to get bank account information or credit card numbers. Scammers will often sell that information to other scammers.

France said scammers will always try new tactics and techniques

“Just because we have this talk today does not mean it will end here,” France said. “I speak for myself and my team that we are a resource for the community and our customers. If you ever get into a situation where fraud is even suspected, we encourage anyone to contact one of us.”

France said he works alongside Bakken as a team to help the community fight against scammers. He said it is important to educate people on how to protect themselves against fraud.

“It happens frequently that some of our customers are in a situation of a scam,” France said. “What it all boils down to is that you have to know who you are talking to and who you can trust. No matter what happens concerning a scam, they will try to make you feel comfortable or they are going to threaten you. It is important to trust your gut and call your bank if you are in this situation.”

France said a red flag for people is if they’re warned against calling their bank.

“One of many scams cyber criminals use is they will send you an email or phone text, saying you owe some type of debt,” France said. “They will say something like, ‘If you call the bank, you won’t see your money again.’ That right there is a red flag. You must call us (the bank) because the sooner we know the sooner we can shut the scammer down.”

France said bank employees can read the sign of a red flag on their customers’ facial expressions or voices at times. Especially when a large amount of money is being requested to be wired to Western Union. France said it’s not that employees are being nosy, but that they can see the signs their customers are being robbed by cyber criminals. He said his bank saved a customer who was about to wire money to Western Union $22,000.

The FTC has reported cybercriminals have used Western Union to fraud their victims out of money. The United States Justice Department has distributed more than $365 million to over 148,000 fraud victims who used Western Union with checks distributed in March 2020, September 2020, and June 2021.

France recommends people use Credit Karma to protect their identity, credit cards, and social security cards. Credit Karma will alert users by phone if its team suspects fraud is occurring.

Bakken said if anyone believes they are a victim of fraud, he encourages them to contact his office. He said although it may not be easy to catch the cybercriminal, it is important to contact local authorities so there will at least be a chance of stopping the scammer.

“We are a resource and don’t ever hesitate to call our office, “ Bakken said. “Cooper is 100% correct when he said it is really hard to process these cases from the initial phone call of our office to hopefully catching who it is and prosecuting them,” Bakken said. “Cooper and the bank are the front line with this issue.

Bakken said people report wire fraud to the bank before reporting the situation to law enforcement. because reporting it to the bank first can help stop the cyber thief quicker.

“Unfortunately by the time it gets reported to law enforcement, the transaction has already been made, the money has been wired and the gift cards have been purchased and have been sent off,” said Bakken.

Bakken said his team of investigators deals with fraud daily. He explained what steps authorities take when situations such as wire fraud occur.

“We see this happen daily and what we typically do is forward this information to our investigators,” Bakken said. “We have resources at our state level and the Department of Criminal Investigations. The phone numbers you see on a scam are internet-generated; they don’t correlate to any real person. Emails that are used in scams are also computer-generated and they don’t correspond to a person. Links that are sent through an email address come from another website.”

Webster said people should beware of pop-ups because scammers use them to lure their victims. He said never click a pop-up unless you know what it is.

“ Ninety-nine percent of the time when you get a pop-up on your screen that says ‘Warning,’ it is some kind of fraud,” Webster said. “They try to get you to contact them and what they are doing is preying on your fears. This happened to my mother when a scammer got control of her computer. The best thing you can do is shut off your computer.”

Webster said if is suspicious of a pop-up that says to update their cell phone, he said to check online first. Webster also said is best to delete or report any type of suspicious

Platte Valley residents who bank with Bank of Commerce are advised to report any red flags they may see in their banking account or if they feel they are being scammed by phone or computer, call the Bank of Commerce customer service immediately at 1-800-477-9193.

To report a scam contact Bakken’s office by calling 307-324-2776, extension 7714, or by emailing him at [email protected]. Bakken suggests in case of a wire fraud scam, people should contact their bank first before contacting authorities. All victims and witnesses will remain anonymous.