NEWS

Phone scams target thousands of Ohioans

Jessie Balmert
Gannett Ohio

Your grandchild is in prison. The IRS will arrest you for back taxes. Your computer has a virus.

These are some of the most common ways con artists stole money from Ohioans in 2014. The Ohio Attorney General's Office received about 28,000 complaints from consumers scammed by criminals last year; about 1,200 were via phone, Attorney General Mike DeWine said at a news conference Tuesday.

"They all begin with a simple phone call and end with heartache," DeWine said.

As part of National Consumer Protection Week, DeWine released information about five of the most common schemes:

• IRS scam: A person pretending to be an IRS agent will call the victim and threaten to send him or her to prison for not paying back taxes. Some calls will have a 202 area code from Washington, D.C., but the calls rarely originate there. This time of year, the attorney general's office receives hundreds of complaints each month about IRS scams.

• Sweepstakes scam: A person pretending to be with the lottery will demand taxes or fees before releasing the winnings. Last year, 150 people reported lottery scams, 40 lost money and one person lost $119, DeWine said.

• Grandparents scam: A person pretending to be a grandchild will call and ask for money to get out of jail or avoid trouble. The scam artist typically asks the grandparents to not tell anyone. About 2,500 people reported the scheme last year and the average amount lost was $4,700.

• Computer repair scam: A person pretending to be with a reputable computer company will claim the victim's computer has been infected with a virus and charge a fee to access the computer remotely. Dozens of complaints were reported last year.

• Grant scam: A person will claim the victim is being awarded a federal grant but must pay taxes on the grant. About 50 people filed complaints about this scheme last year and the money lost ranged from $60 to $6,000.

Many of the calls are placed to landline phones, but cellphones are not safe from scams either.

Most scam artists will request that money be sent through a wire transfer or prepaid card, so it's challenging to track down the criminals after the money is sent, DeWine said.

"Education is really the only way that we can ensure they don't lose this money," he added.

DeWine offered several tips for avoiding these scams:

• Be wary of requests for wire transfers

• Do not share personal information over the phone

• Double-check if your grandchildren are safe before sending money

• Do not provide remote access to your computer

• Be cautious of people who pressure to act immediately

• If you haven't applied for a lottery or grant, be wary of someone offering you winnings.

A checklist to avoid phone scams is available at ohioattorneygeneral.gov.

jbalmert@gannett.com

740-328-8548

Twitter: @jbalmert