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March 7, 2024 |
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AG Nessel Advises Consumers To “Slam the Scam” During National Consumer Protection Week
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LANSING – As part of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) National Consumer Protection Week, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is encouraging residents to “Slam the Scam” on March 7.
“Slam the Scam” Day was initiated five years ago by the Social Security Administration and its Office of the Inspector General to educate the public on how to recognize government imposter scams, especially Social Security-related imposter scams, which are the most common type of imposter scams reported to the FTC.
According to the FTC, government imposter scams resulted in over $617 million in consumer losses in 2023 alone. To combat this alarming trend, Nessel urges residents to join the effort on March 7 by sharing information about scams on social media platforms using #SlamTheScam.
Scammers know that calls, emails, text messages, social media posts, and U.S. mail from government officials are more likely to be opened, read, and obeyed, helping them achieve their number one goal: to steal money from unsuspecting consumers. When bad actors impersonate government entities, they typically offer grants and special medication prices, or request updated personal information. In more confrontational forms of the scam, the imposter will demand money and threaten arrest for nonpayment.
The Attorney General’s Government Imposter Scams alert advises consumers who have received communications from imposters to protect themselves from these scams by:
- Blocking the text, email, or calls;
- Not clicking links or opening attachments;
- Reporting the text or email as spam; and
- Deleting the text or email from their device.
“I encourage everyone to ‘Slam the Scam’ and hang up if you think you are on the phone with a scam caller,” said Nessel. “My department has resources online that everyone should avail themselves to so that they can identify a scam before they become a victim.”
The Attorney General’s alert also reminds consumers that government agencies will not:
- Promise to increase benefits or fix an issue if a fee is paid;
- Threaten arrest or legal action unless money is sent immediately; or
- Demand payment in the form of gift cards, wire transfers, prepaid debit cards, cryptocurrency, or cash sent by mail.
Scammers may also attempt to win trust by presenting fictitious documents or by using the name of a real government official. Just last month, Nessel issued a warning about an IRS scam being perpetrated in her name using a similar tactic.
Consumers can Slam the Scam by simply hanging up the phone on predators and deleting suspicious emails or text messages without responding. A response only lets the scammers know their information is accurate and they may try again.
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