Dear Friends,
Last fall, a senior here in Idaho turned on his laptop and got a pop-up alert claiming his computer was blocked for security reasons. A phone number appeared on his screen, and he called it.
The voice on the other end claimed to be from Microsoft technical support. She told him his computer had been hacked by the Chinese and was now infected with child pornography. The only way to fix it, she said, was to pay $4,000 immediately.
Concerned about the threat at hand, he agreed. Then the scammer told him other people were listening to his landline. She said a “security officer” would call his cell phone to walk him through the payment.
For the next hour and a half, that “officer” stayed on the phone with him. The amount kept climbing. Eventually, they told him to go to his bank and withdraw $20,000 in cash. When he got there, they instructed him not to talk to anyone except to say the money was for a remodel.
But something wasn’t sitting right. The voice on the phone was getting more aggressive. The demands were escalating. And then he remembered something he’d heard on the radio.
When I took office, I saw that these scammers succeed because victims don’t know where to turn for help. They’re scared, they’re confused, and they don’t know who to call. That’s why I directed my office to run public service announcements on radio stations across Idaho, because I wanted the work of our Consumer Protection Division to be lodged in the back of every Idahoan’s mind before they ever needed it.
That’s exactly what happened here. One prior moment of awareness, and this man kept $20,000 in his bank account. He hung up the phone and walked out of that bank without withdrawing a dime. And he called our Consumer Protection Division to tell us what happened.
I’m sharing this story because it wasn’t luck that saved this man from losing $20,000. It was awareness. One split second of recognition that scams like this happen every day and that Idahoans have a place to turn when something feels wrong.
Our Consumer Protection Division exists to stand between Idaho families and the scammers who target them. These scammers are professionals. They know how to sound official, how to create panic, how to isolate their victims from anyone who might step in. They rely on fear and urgency. They count on people not knowing where to turn.
The scams we see are getting more sophisticated every year. Fake IRS agents demanding immediate payment. Romance scams that drain life savings. Tech support frauds like the one this man encountered. Phishing emails designed to look like they came from your bank. The tactics change, but the goal is always the same: steal your money and disappear.
The criminals behind these schemes don’t care that their victims worked their whole lives for that money. They don’t care about the trust someone places in what seems like a legitimate company. They were counting on this man to be too scared or too confused to stop and think.
But he did stop. He did think. And that made all the difference.
If you or someone you know has been contacted by a scammer, report it at reportscamsidaho.com. If you’re not sure whether something is legitimate, call our Consumer Protection Division. We would rather you call if you aren’t sure than hear from a victim who lost everything because they didn’t know where to turn.
Please talk to your parents, your grandparents, your neighbors. Share this story. Remind them that no legitimate company will ever demand immediate payment over the phone, threaten arrest, or tell you to lie to your bank. Remind them that it’s okay to hang up, to ask questions, and to reach out to us.
This time, there was a happy ending, but that is not always the case. My office is being proactive with radio ads, outreach events across the state, and press releases to local media about new scams as we hear about them. But it takes all of us to help our friends and family know what to look for and where to turn when something feels wrong. If you aren’t sure if it’s a scam, visit reportscamsidaho.com or call 208-334-2424.
