Decorah area residents get tips on how to avoid getting scammed

Iowa Attorney General's Office Investigator Al Perales feels there has been an increase in consumer fraud in recent years—especially of the kind he calls "imposter cases," when someone pretends to be from the IRS or an employment firm or even a member of the family.  Perales and representatives from the Iowa Insurance Division, SHIIP and other agencies put on a Fraud Forum Friday afternoon for a crowd of over 100 people at Luther's Peace Dining Room.

Perales says technology might be one of the reasons for the increase—scammers can get information from the Internet about the person they're calling, to make the call seem more legitimate.  Making the situation even more difficult is the practice of "spoofing"—scammers using technology to make it seem like they are calling from a local phone.  But Perales says there's a limit to how much scammers know, which means there are "always holes in their stories."  He says the best approach is if you don't recognize a caller, hang up.

Other experts at Friday afternoon's program also advised people attending to take an active role in making sure their financial accounts are safe.