Consumer protection officials: stay aware of phishing, romance scams

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - Every year, scammers rob thousands of people out of personal information and money, which can be especially devastating during the holidays. The North Dakota Attorney General’s office sees increases in phishing scams and romance scams this time of year.

Phishing scams are where a scammer calls or emails victims pretending to be from a company like Amazon in an attempt to lure data from you to access your bank accounts or credit cards. Romance scams are when a criminal adopts a fake online identity to gain a victim’s trust to manipulate or steal from them.

“So we continue to urge, talk about this in your social circles. Talk about this in your church clubs, your civic clubs, so that people are aware,” said Parrell Grossman, consumer protection & antitrust director for the North Dakota Attorney General’s Office.

Parrell Grossman says consumers should be vigilant. They should not click links or call numbers sent to them by unfamiliar senders. He adds that consumers also should not hold up a copy of personal documents when asked to pay money online.

Report fraud to the Attorney General or the police, even if you do not pay out.