TULSA, Okla. — A never-ending barrage of phony calls, texts, and emails is targeting people daily. Scammers claim targets owe taxes, owe money for fines, have won a big prize, or can get in on a once-in-a-lifetime deal to make money.
One tiny answer or click is all scammers need to know an email or phone number is active. They can then sell that information to other scammers, who bombard targets with an avalanche of phony messages, trying to trick them into revealing personal and financial information.
Jeffery Bianca showed 2 News Oklahoma his phone, which receives 20 or more scam calls a day.
"I try as hard as I can not to pick them up, but every now and then, you know, I'll slip up," Bianca said.
Dominique Tilly said she receives scam calls so often that she expected her phone to ring during our interview.
"I was getting a call in the middle after our interview and I was, uh, I thought it was gonna be one, so I was gonna walk up to you and show you my phone like, you see, but it actually wasn't one this time, but it comes so often that I thought that it could have been one," Tilly said.
Crystal Spears handles her daily barrage of phony texts, calls, and emails by ignoring them.
"I ignore them so much because it happens too often," Spears said.
When 2 News Oklahoma asked Tilly if she had ever fallen victim to a scam, she said she was unsure.
"No, I don't believe so. I would hope not. I try not to," Tilly said.
When asked if she was unsure, Tilly admitted, "Yes, I am unsure."
2 News asked Spears whether it would surprise her that 4 out of 10 of us have been victimized to the point of losing money, according to AARP.
"It doesn't surprise me at all," Spears said.
Kathy Stokes, AARP senior director of fraud prevention, told 2 News loads of these scams come from organized crime gangs overseas. She said they do not just target the elderly.
"It's everybody," Stokes said.
Crooks count on victims feeling ashamed and not reporting the crime.
"I don't feel ashamed because it's they who are trying to do the scam or the, you know, they're trying to get over on us, so I don't feel bad for reporting it," Tilly said.
If you lose money, AARP urges you to report it to local police and your financial institutions.
"They can't investigate anything if they don't know about it. And you also want that report in the event down the road, there may be some means to victim restitution," Stokes said.
To avoid becoming a victim, screen your calls. Instead of clicking a link, go directly to the organization's or company's website to check whether the message is legitimate.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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