January 19, 2022
Carson City, NV – Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford
advises Nevadans to be on alert for scammers who hold themselves out as legitimate
companies, nonprofits or government entities and lure in unsuspecting victims
by claiming that the victim was selected to receive a prize or benefit.
“Many scammers prey on our desire to win, get
things for free or get a good deal,” said AG Ford. “Unfortunately, those giveaways are usually too
good to be true. Nevadans should remain on alert to avoid falling for these
imposter scams.”
We often see imposter scams in which the
scammer uses threats and intimidation to coerce victims into giving them money
and personal information. However, scammers can also use a different tactic to
lure in victims – enticement. In these imposter scams, the scammer pretends to
be (or be affiliated with) a legitimate business, nonprofit or government
entity and tells the victim that he or she will receive a benefit such as money,
a prize, lower interest rate, grant or debt forgiveness. However, in order to
receive the benefit in these scams, the victim must first make an up-front payment
or provide personal information to the scammer.
Similar to scams using intimidation, scammers
that use enticement will contact victims using many different methods of
communication, including social media accounts, email, mail, phone calls, prerecorded
messages and texts. The scammers will ask for payment through various payment methods,
including Venmo, Zelle or other payment apps; gift cards; or wire transfer. These
are popular forms of payment for scams because, once the scammer has the card
information, they can quickly obtain the funds and the money cannot be
recovered.
There is no shortage of creativity when it
comes to scams, but it is good to know that many scammers follow a similar path.
In an enticement scam, the scammer will first contact you and claim that you
have been selected to receive some sort of benefit. They may claim to be from
the government and claim that you are eligible for a grant or tax credit. Additionally,
they may claim to be affiliated with a legitimate business and are reaching out
to inform you that you are eligible for loan forgiveness, or that you are the
winner of a prize, including vacations, time shares, property or money. Second,
the scammer will inform you that, in order to receive the benefit, you must
first make a payment (or series of payments) or provide personal information
such as your credit card information or social security number. All too often,
while the requests for payments will appear sensible, there will be multiple
requests.
If you receive any sort of communication
claiming you qualify for a benefit or prize, use the following tips to avoid
enticement related scams:
Take some time to assess
the situation before taking any action. Any claim that you must act quickly in
order to receive a benefit is a red flag;
Call a friend,
family member or coworker and tell them your situation. Often, talking about these
matters with trusted people in your life can help you identify and avoid a scam;
If the person who
contacted you sets a condition for receiving the benefit, such as making a
payment or providing personal information, they are likely trying to scam you;
Do not give money or
personal information to people you do not know. Remember that the government
will not contact you and ask you to make payments in order to receive a benefit,
and legitimate giveaways usually do not operate by asking you to make payments
in order to receive a prize. Once a scammer has your data, they can take money
from you or sell your information to other scammers; and
Be skeptical of any
unsolicited call or message. If someone contacts you offering a benefit that
seems too good to be true, it is usually because it is.
If you have been a victim of a scam using
enticement, you may file a complaint with the Federal
Trade Commission and the Office of the Nevada Attorney General. Include as much information as possible
with your complaint, including any information you have about the person or
entity that contacted you such as social media accounts, names and phone
numbers.
###