The poster advertising the February information session at the Reining Center put on by the Toledo Police Department and the Iowa Attorney General’s Office. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

It can happen to anyone. A phone call, a text, an email, and before you know it, you’ve fallen for a scam. It happens everywhere, including Tama County, where residents have lost thousands of dollars to such malicious ruses.

For the Toledo Police Department, scams come in waves, with on average around ten being reported per month.

“Some are caught before they get too far, some are reported to us as an information only, while others are full on reports,” Toledo Lieutenant Nathan Wunn said.

The amount of money taken from citizens in Tama County by scammers is incalculable, and constantly on the rise.

“It is difficult to give a full dollar amount but I have seen 10’s of thousands in individual scams and occasionally scams have exceeded $100 thousand. Some scams continue unreported over a long period of time and it is difficult to get a total even when they are eventually reported. Unfortunately, we can’t know the full extent of loss because it is likely more scams go unreported than are reported,” Wunn said.

Scammers thrive on fear, whether a scammer attacks by phone or online, the scams remain the same.

“The general practice is generating a concern or fear or urgency of the victim that the scammer has fabricated. They establish enough layers to overwhelm the victims’ reason and this coerces their participation,” Wunn said. “There is an urgent or secretive element to the scam that is meant to isolate the victim from their normal and they will attempt to keep the victim from communicating with law enforcement or friends and family before they are “required” to act.”

Verification is the cornerstone of scam prevention. If it’s not written in stone, it’s not to be trusted.

“Always check and verify with a trusted source either family or law enforcement before you do anything. Remember there are almost no scenarios that will require immediate participation. If it is a legitimate request for funds that need will be there after you verify the details with a family member or law enforcement. Gift cards are never a legitimate practice for business. They are always related to scams,” Wunn said.

Gift cards and cash are scammer’s bread and butter.

“The biggest red flag for any of these scams is to use gift cards. This element is so common because they can transfer the funds digitally and there is not physical connection to the funds. Cash is another one because it is difficult to identify after it has left the victim’s hands,” Wunn said.

The chances of recovering the lost money from a scam is low. “The method of the scam and the timing of the official reporting are the biggest factors in recovering money. The success rate for recovering funds in these scams is not-likely but possible,” Lt. Wunn.

Scams are ever-evolving and changing. Once you’ve learned one trick, they come up with another in order to trick you.

“We have seen them progress to having a courier show up to the door and take cash from the victims. Online scams have become more elaborate where social media accounts are now being falsified with multiple profiles to help lower the suspicion of the victims,” Wunn said.

One of the most harrowing evolutions scammers have made is to reach out of the computer screen and into real life to pluck money from people’s pockets. Couriers will be used to drive to the victim’s home to retrieve the money.

“I have not seen where the scammer has been local, but they will involve 3rd party “mules” to carry out portions of the scam, and they will be within driving distance once the scam has started. They could be located within a radius of time it would take to drive there once the scam has been initiated,” Wunn said.

The leaps and bounds at which technology moves aid the evolving scammer. The usual avenue in which scammers prey on their victims is via phones and social media. Lt. Wunn explained.

“With today’s technology phone numbers can be generated through the internet and that means there is little to no information tied to them, this makes identifying and locating the scammer difficult. Social media is huge because you can collect photos and personal information online and can come up with a very convincing if not identical profile of someone who the victim knows. They are sometimes completely unaware they are being scammed,” he said. “Due to this, I would make it a point to converse with people with known information. If someone is asking you to give them money then you should have their phone number already, you can try to video chat in most social media platforms to verify who you are speaking with. General rule of thumb is to verify the information and to not get caught up in the urgency. If someone legitimately needs your money and needs your help, they will still need it after you are able to verify with some trusted parties. Keep in mind, law enforcement is privileged to these kinds and types of scams. We are tied in to a network that spans the entirety of the United States. We can likely verify some information for you that would save you the loss and the time if you are able to involve us early on in the process. i.e. The common scenario of a relative who needs bond money and they are in a different city or state. Law Enforcement can verify with that local agency if that person is actually wanted and in need of bond money. It’s important to remember that bond money is not an urgent issue, as a general practice someone who is requesting bond money is already in custody and will be released once the bond has been posted. As a general practice bond is secured by the person who is arrested, they will make the arrangements through a bond company or through a private party who can deliver the money for their bond, there will be no attorneys or judges requesting bond money from you. The bond scam is a common theme.”

Scammers, like all criminals, target the vulnerable. Older citizens are prime targets for ruthless scammers.

“There is definitely a target for the elderly,” Wunn said. “There is a lot of information that can be acquired online about a longtime resident. The elderly groups will carry home phone numbers still which are listed. They are less experienced with technology and the technology they may be familiar with has changed, so they may still be comfortable with what they know but the unfamiliarity with the changes gives them a false sense of security. The elderly are at a larger risk once they have just lost a partner. i.e. They are likely grieving and that makes them vulnerable to being overwhelmed. They are likely to come across some life insurance money and may be in retirement so they will have larger amounts of accessible funds. They are most likely to be isolated physically already due to living alone. It should be noted that businesses are also known victims of scams. If the scammer is versed in the normal flow of that type of business it is easy for them to insert themselves into the process and funnel money into their control before it is caught by the business. Oftentimes employees are newer or can be one part of the full process and are unaware they are being scammed until it is too late. The business scams tend to be more elaborate and take more time but do end up being larger amounts of money. It’s important to build checks and balances in your normal business process and make sure employees understand them. Redundancy is key to verifying the information being delivered is accurate and not part of a scam.”

Toledo Police Chief Dan Quigley, after having a loved one fall victim to a scam and having the department focus on the financial exploitation of senior citizens, worked for months to partner with the Iowa Attorney General’s Office for a scam information session.

“Scams are always evolving and I think it is good to offer updated information to our community,” he said.

On Feb. 27, at the Reinig Center starting at 10 AM is the free event to learn about the scams that may target you. Always evolving, always changing, in attempts to take you for one dollar or $100,000. Scams and scammers aren’t going away, but with information, you can learn how to defend yourself against those who wish to prey on you.