Blair Stapleton, Kari Weber & Rebecca Leary
The FBI and the State of Montana arrived in Montana on Wednesday, January 24, 2024 to inform everyone of several scams currently bilking everyone out of thousands of dollars. Three representatives spoke at the Musselshell County Community Commons to a crowd of over 50 gathered for the senior meal, then again at Homes on the Range for several of the residents in their meeting space.
Blair Stapleton, Montana Investor Education and Public Outreach Coordinator; Rebecca Leary, FBI Community Outreach Specialist; and Kari Weber, FBI Forensic Accountant, were the speakers for both events.
The ladies informed the listeners that there are several financial scams currently attracting the attention of the FBI and law enforcement in Montana.
Grandparent scams- someone claiming to be your grandchild calls you and asks for money. This is troubling, and now with the use of artificial intelligence, even harder to avoid. They understand that grandparents are vulnerable, and want to help their family. Never use the child's name. Hang up and call your grandchild.
Romance scams - a person contacts you and initiates a friendship, which escalates often into a romance. Over a period of time, this person can ask for money for emergencies, preying upon a relationship cultured over months or years, yet never meeting you. This scam is built on trust. Beware of someone asking for money in non-traditional ways and never wanting to meet you.
Gift card scams - someone contacts you and promises you money in exchange for your purchase of gift cards for them. You purchase the gift cards, give the codes on the back, or mail them to an address. You are never paid in return. Gift cards are for gifts only, not for any kind of payments to anyone.
Technology scams - someone will contact you by phone or computer and inform you your device is under attack by a virus and that you need to download a file that opens your device to their control. You lose money by their control of your bank account information. Or you are convinced to deposit money to a bank account or bitcoin account to pay for a tech update, or even deliver cash to a person. Never open a file you are unsure about.
Money Mule scams - money mules move criminal proceeds around. This is considered 'laundering money' and is punishable and illegal. Someone may ask you to open a bank account, or a 'crypto account', to deposit money, or receive packages for them. This scam can ruin your credit and your life.
Report scams to local law enforcement, or use the following resources:
Local help is available at Area II.406-323-1320.
More useful websites for more information:
Csi.mt.gov
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