Iowa’s ‘Stop the Scammers’ campaign educates Sioux City of the importance of fraud prevention

SIOUX CITY (KTIV) - New numbers show consumers in the U.S. lost more than 10-billion dollars to scams and fraud in 2023.

Armed with real-world tips and tools, the “Stop the Scammers” roadshow made its way to Siouxland, Wednesday afternoon. Along the way, the Iowa Department of Insurance and Financial Services, the Iowa Attorney General’s office, and the A-A-R-P, are putting on educational seminars.

The roadshow stopped in Sioux City and shared stories of real people and how scams can invade the lives of everyday people.

“If it’s a company that’s contacting you, go to their website, look up the number and call them. Check to see if this is legitimate, because it’s that push to act now that seems to really get people because they’re in a heightened emotional state, and they’re not taking the time to think things through,” says Heather Kriener, financial literacy director.

At the seminars, in 18 communities, Iowans will learn about the most common scams for people to look out for. Such as, computer tech support scams, Ponzi or pyramid schemes, and affinity fraud. Organizers say the more you know about scams, the more likely you are to avoid and report them.

“Scammers are really good about using information that they can gain from us,” says Doug Ommen, Iowa insurance commissioner. “They often start by being very nice but if you’re dealing with someone over a line, that is a phone line, a computer line, or through text messaging, you should be very suspicious they’re actually trying to run a scam.”

In the coming weeks, there will be additional Stop the Scammers events in Carroll, Ames, Fort Dodge, Mason City, Marshalltown, Waterloo, Dubuque, Cedar Rapids, and Johnston.

The AARP is always looking for Fraud Watch Volunteers, you can reach out to ia@aarp.org for more information.

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