TULSA, Okla. — The Federal Trade Commission said victims lost $1.1 billion in one year alone to imposter scams, such as:
- Schemes include copycat account security alerts
- Phony subscription renewals
- Fake giveaways, discounts, or prize money to claim
- Bogus problems with the law or federal government
- Made-up package delivery issues
It’s a huge number that represents a gigantic problem.
But now, the feds announce new rules to attack the surging cases of imposter scams.
Richard Ratliff, who lives in North Tulsa County, says he was one of those victims, losing the last $10,000 he had to his name.
“I am mad. What really makes me mad is that this is a cop. He’s a police officer. He works for the highway patrol. How can you do that to somebody?" Ratliff said.
Ratliff said he eventually learned he was dealing with an imposter who used the name of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol to rip him off.
“I can’t do it anymore. I’m done. They broke me,” Richard said.
But now, starting April 1, the Federal Trade Commission said new rules are being implemented to attack the surging number of imposter scams.
For example, the rule now enables the FTC to directly seek money in federal court from scammers that:
- use government seals or business logos
- spoof government and business emails and web addresses
- falsely imply government or business affiliation
The feds are also working on more rules targeting the use of artificial intelligence by scammers.
FTC chair Lina Khan said, “Fraudsters are using AI tools to impersonate individuals with eerie precision and at a much wider scale. With voice cloning and other AI-driven scams on the rise, protecting Americans from impersonator fraud is more critical than ever.”
Victims like Richard are glad the rules to target scammers finally have more teeth, even though it’s too late for him.
He said life has been changed forever.
“That’s the worst part of it, is the trust issue, I’m not that kind of person," he said. "I usually always try to give a person the benefit of the doubt. But anymore, I can’t.”
The FTC also wants to step up its warnings about how scammers get their money from victims.
Reports of text messages and emails are trending up, while phone calls are going down.
When it comes to payment methods, victims report losses by bank transfers and cryptocurrency, outpacing every other method used by scammers to rip off their targets.
Experts say focus on three simple rules to protect yourself from Facebook scams, as well as scams involving lotteries, government grants, or any other type of scam.
1. Slow down
Scammers often try to create a sense of urgency or threaten you with losing your account or your chance at a big prize.
Take time to ask questions and think it through.
2. Spot check
Scammers often mention a problem or a prize to encourage you to act.
Do your research to double-check the details before clicking links or downloading files.
Does what they’re telling you make sense?
3. Don’t send
Scammers often pretend to be from a familiar organization or a social media friend.
They may use stolen photos from the internet to convince you.
So don’t send any payment or personal information.
Contact the Problem Solvers:
- 918-748-1502
- problemsolvers@kjrh.com
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