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Wednesday, December 25, 2024

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Trump vows to pursue executions after Biden commutes most of the federal death row; Mississippi group working in 71 counties to end homelessness in Mississippi; Farmers no longer feeling Farm Bill anguish, but relief might be fleeting; Addressing Montana's expanding 'news deserts.'

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President-elect Donald Trump considers reclaiming Panama Canal. Lawmakers are uncertain Trump's cabinet will help everyday Americans and, advocates feel Biden must reconsider clemency actions.

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Rural folks could soon be shut out of loans for natural disasters if Project 2025 has its way, Taos, New Mexico weighs options for its housing shortage, and the top states providing America's Christmas trees revealed.

IL residents should know scam warning signs

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Wednesday, October 30, 2024   

Financial publication Forbes ranked Illinois ninth on its list of the "10 Most Scammed States" last year, with 285 incidents for every 100,000 residents.

The Federal Trade Commission is trying to help people stay off the list. National tragedies, like the recent hurricanes, may be used to lure someone into handing over money, credit card numbers or confidential information. And the election has prompted some to donate to bogus political causes or spread false information.

Matt Schiltz, staff attorney for the Midwest regional office of the Federal Trade Commission in Chicago, said impostor scams are the most frequently reported type of fraud.

"Unfortunately, I've seen reports that people are using artificial intelligence to clone voices, or at least trying to," Schiltz pointed out. "The person calling may sound like a friend or a family member or a famous person, a politician."

He advised people who have received a suspicious phone call or email requesting money or private information to slow down and talk with a trusted family member or friend before taking any action, since scammers often use urgency as a way to get victims to act first and think later.

Schiltz pointed out fraudsters create new, more persuasive scams by improvising from old ones. Someone posing as a bank employee contacts a potential victim and informs them they need to move their money into another account, for protection against tampering or government seizure. They offer to transfer the funds to a second employee -- actually, an accomplice -- who transfers the money into their own account. Schiltz stressed the agency is working on several different fronts to combat such schemes.

"The FTC has a new impersonation rule that gives the agency stronger tools to combat the scams," Schiltz noted. "We actually brought our first case under the impersonation rule earlier this year."

He suggested visiting FTC.gov/imposters to learn more about spotting a scam. And he encourages anyone with knowledge of a scam to contact the agency at ReportFraud.FTC.gov.


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