Scam Spotlight: Targeted Family Scam

A Wisconsin consumer recently lost thousands of dollars to a scammer who used publicly available information to impersonate a law enforcement official.

This consumer was called about their family member, who was in jail at the time. The caller told the consumer their family member could be let out of jail if the consumer paid $725. The caller, who was actually a scammer, claimed to be a local police officer and provided a fake name to the consumer.

Because the details provided by the caller all seemed accurate, the consumer was convinced – and sent the scammer $725 using a banking app. The scammer repeatedly claimed that the money had not been received, so the consumer sent three more $725 payments. After four payments totaling $2,900, the consumer contacted local officials and learned they had been scammed.

This scam highlights the importance of double-checking and verifying details before sending someone money. Consumers who receive phone calls, texts, social media messages, emails, letters, or other communications from someone claiming to represent a family member or law enforcement agency should practice caution. Some scammers go to great lengths to create a convincing story.

Consumers can protect themselves by:

· Finding a law enforcement organization’s real contact information on their official website (not by using the first thing found in an internet search, which can be inaccurate).

· Contacting the law enforcement organization, or their family member directly, using verified contact details (not the details the suspicious caller/messenger has provided).

· Only using legitimate payment methods. Most law enforcement agencies won’t accept payments from peer-to-peer payment apps or platforms.