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Federal inquiry traces payments from Gaetz to women; a new Florida-Puerto Rico partnership poised to transform higher-ed landscape; MT joins Tribes to target Canadian mining pollution; Heart health plummets in rural SD and nationwide; CO working families would pay more under Trump tax proposals.

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Transgender rights in Congress, a historic win for Utah's youngest elected official, scrutiny of Democratic Party leadership, and the economic impact of Trump's tax proposals highlight America's shifting political and social landscape.

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The CDC has a new plan to improve the health of rural Americans, updated data could better prepare folks for flash floods like those that devastated Appalachia, and Native American Tribes could play a key role in the nation's energy future.

IL residents should know scam warning signs

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author Terri Dee, Anchor/Producer

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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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