LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — For most Nevadans, dodging scam calls and questioning suspicious texts has become a routine part of life.
But not all those calls and texts get dodged or reported. In fact, the FBI’s latest Internet Crime Report ranked Nevada 3rd in the nation for per capita losses to cybercrime, with Nevadans reporting $302 million in losses. (And that’s just what gets reported.)
With the Nevada taking center stage among scam losses in the U.S., I wanted to know: What are the most common scams costing Nevadans money, and how can you avoid them?
To get some answers, I turned to Ken Duggan, founder of the scam verification database Scam Detective. Here’s what you need to know:
The scam: Looking for love…and money
Silver State Scams: Looking for love…and money
How it works: Scammers create fake dating profiles, spend weeks building your trust, then suddenly ask for money because of a medical emergency, a travel problem or an investment opportunity. Duggan tells me many of the people running these scams are often victims themselves.
KEN DUGGAN: A lot of people who are running these scams, who are at the keyboard, are very often people who are kidnapped, and they’re subject to human trafficking.
TRICIA KEAN: What you’re telling me is the sex trafficking victims are running these scams? They’re being forced to run scams?
DUGGAN: They’re being forced to run scams. Most of these are operated out of southeast Asia.
If the person asks you to invest in cryptocurrency, or if they request to move the conversation onto an encrypted platform like WhatsApp, that’s a major red flag, Duggan says.
How you can avoid it: Pay attention to the red flags. No matter how convincing the story may sound, you should never send money to someone you’ve met only online.
The scam: Nevada numbers blowing up your phone
Silver State Scams: Nevada numbers blowing up your phone
How it works: If you see a number with a local area code, you might be more likely to answer — and that’s what scammers count on in this scheme. But, Duggan tells me, “What you see on your display is not the real number that’s calling you” — it’s spoofed.
How you can avoid it: If your caller ID shows an unknown number with a 702 or 725 area code, don’t assume it’s someone you know. Duggan says it’s best to let the number go to voicemail. He also recommends reporting the number to the Nevada Attorney General’s Office, the Federal Trade Commission, and/or the Better Business Bureau’s Scam Tracker.
The scam: Don’t trust, verify
Silver State Scams: Don’t trust, verify
How it works: You’ll receive a call or message from someone claiming to represent a reputable company like your bank, mortgage lender, or even a well-known corporation like Microsoft. They’ll tell you your computer has a virus or claim suspicious activity on your account, but offer a solution that requires you to download a so-called “browser refresh” or give them access to your account. In these cases, Duggan warns, one wrong click can give them access to your entire digital life.
“They are injecting malicious software into your phone, into your laptop, and suddenly, they have the keys to everything,” Duggan said.
How you can avoid it: Legitimate companies will not call unexpectedly and ask you to install software or provide sensitive information, Duggan warns. If you get a call like this, you should hang up immediately and contact the company directly using a trusted phone number from its official website or your account statement.
The scam: Distress call
Silver State Scams: Distress call
How it works: Artificial intelligence is used to mimic the voice of a loved one who will claim they’ve been detained in some way, they’re being held somewhere, or they’ve been hurt — and they need money to get out of the situation. Duggan says these calls come from scammers who’ve scrubbed your loved one’s voice from social media or online videos and used voice cloning technology to create a convincing emergency call asking you for money.
“And your instinct, of course, is to you know, ‘I love this person, I’ve got to help him,” Duggan said. “And that’s when we are at our most vulnerable, and these things work.”
How you can avoid it: If you receive a call like this, Duggan says you should hang up and call the person directly from a number you already know. He also recommends talking to your family and establishing a safe word or code phrase that can be used to verify emergencies.
Tricia Kean has spent decades fighting for Nevada consumers and holding bad actors accountable. If you have a consumer-related story you want her to look into, use the link below to let her know.
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