How to avoid falling victim to a scam

REARDAN — The Police Dept. hosted a meeting Thursday, April 18 to educate the public on cryptocurrency scams that have victimized many people in Eastern Washington. Spokane Police Dept. detective Tim Schwering was the guest speaker.

Schwering said several people in the Spokane area have lost their life savings because of cryptocurrency scams. In a typical scam, fraudsters may pose as potential romantic interests on dating sites, friends on social media, or someone offering an investment opportunity that promises a high return on investment.

Once a scammer has gained their target’s trust, he will introduce them to a supposedly lucrative investment opportunity involving virtual currency, Schwering said.

Schwering warned that anytime a person hears the word “crypto” they should be on guard as the scammer often controls and manipulates virtual currency investment websites.

“Anything involving cryptocurrency that someone is reaching out to you about is more than likely a scam,” Schwering said. “The elderly are especially being targeted so their loved ones must be diligent to protect them.”

Police Chief Mike Suniga said that no cryptocurrency crimes have been reported in Reardan but that does not mean they have not occurred as victims are often embarrassed to admit they have fallen prey to a scam.

“If you are contacted by someone who claims to be in an official capacity and wants you to send them money via Walmart or crypto currency, it’s a scam,” Suniga said. “If you see a pop-up on your computer and they want you to call in, it’s a scam. If that does happen, give us a call. The sooner we know about it, the sooner we can work towards helping you get your money back.”

Lincoln County Sheriff Gabe Gants said most fraudulent activity that is reported to his office is conducted over the phone from fraudsters claiming to be the victim’s bank, asking for a social security or credit card number.

“Any time you have a company asking for personal information, that should be a red flag,” Gants said. “They shouldn’t be asking for information over the phone.”

Oftentimes, senior citizens are targeted by scammers and need to be on especially high alert, local authorities said.

Davenport U.S. Bank branch manager Saige Wilson said email fraud is another common issue her bank sees. She said links are emailed to citizens claiming to be Amazon or PayPal, but ultimately lead to scam or virus content.

“Be mindful about who the email is from (and) be mindful of who you actually do business with,” Wilson said.

Other times, scammers will research obituary information and try to scam the next-of-kin by claiming to have pertinent life insurance or pension information, Wilson said.

And around the holidays, scammers may text links falsely claiming that packages were undeliverable and to click an ultimately fraudulent link to fix the issue, she said.

Authorities said anyone suspicious of a potential scam should contact their bank before giving personal information or wiring money to avoid getting scammed.

“People need to realize when that happens, they should call their bank,” Gants said.

Managing editor Drew Lawson contributed to this report.