The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is taking in an alarming number of reports from residents fearing they’ve been targeted for a financial scam. The fraudulent contacts come through email, phone calls and phone texts. The sheriff’s office investigators are telling people - don’t fall for it.
A team of investigators and sheriff’s office support staff, working with Sheriff Troy Wolbersen and Chief Deputy Jason Peterson, are determined to solve these cases and make arrests, but they need the public’s help.
“We are asking people to contact us right away,” said Investigations Sergeant Brandon Kruse. “The sooner they call or come in, the better chance we have of recovering some or all of their lost money.”
The investigative team is seeing many traditional scams, but they are also warning about people in Douglas County being told to expect an actual person to show up at their doors to receive money or gold.
Investigator Nate Larson says the office gets calls every day from people worried they have given access to their accounts or given money following an outreach from someone who sounded like they knew them personally. “A classic tactic is the scammer learns enough about the person they’re reaching out to so they can gain their trust,” Larson said. “They tell the victim not to call the bank, or they tell them not to talk to their family and usually they say the person needs to act quickly.”
In an always changing technological world, it’s nearly impossible to know whether each text, email or phone call is legitimate or a potential devasting financial loss. Douglas County Sheriff’s investigators say everyone needs to pause and thoroughly think through why they are clicking on an email or opening a text. The key to preventing a wrong move is to understand who would really be contacting them and remembering to never give out financial information or access to accounts in response to outreach.
“Deal directly and proactively with your bank and all other accounts you have, such as social security, utilities and cellphone contracts,” said Kruse. “For example, if someone calls saying they are from your bank, say okay, hang up and then call your bank directly using the local number and determine if anyone is trying to reach you.
Chief Deputy Peterson said the investigators have been successful in recouping funds and stopping direct payments, but again time is critical. “We see, way too often, people, especially our seniors, don’t tell family members what’s happened because they are embarrassed or concerned that they’ll lose their independence. Many times, we don’t learn about the crime until a family member sees a bank account drained.”
Waiting to report an incident causes delays that make it more difficult to make an arrest. The sheriff’s office front door is open for walk-in reports at 216 7th Avenue W. Alexandria. The number to call to talk to an investigator is 320-762-8151. People can also file a complaint at the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.