The practice of taking money from a person without the individual realizing the threat is a scam. In recent months, I have experienced an increased number of attempted scams. By listing a few of them, I hope I can help readers avoid these intrusions and potential loss of money and invasion of privacy.

For example, “The E-470 Tollway Authority has a record of an unpaid toll of $6.00 which if left unpaid in the next five days will amount to a $ 500 fine and possible jail time.” Shaken but undaunted because I had not driven on E-470 in ten years.

Another common scan said, “The USPS has a package with an inadequate address. Give us your address and phone number so that a delivery can be made.”

My worst phone scam was a late-night phone call. “Your family member is safe after her accident in California, but as her attorney, we need $500 to try to reduce her fine for unsafe driving.” After contacting both the police department and the sheriff’s office in the town of the alleged event, it was learned that no accident occurred.

Scammers tend to target seniors, people in the 20-30 year age group and people living alone. There are many kinds of scams; they can arrive by email, phone call, WhatsApp and other social media.

An increasing number of scams are generated by artificial intelligence and are made to seem very authentic. Elon Musk and Taylor Swift were featured in an AI video where they appeared to promote lucrative investments. However, the celebrities never actually promoted their products, nor did they say what they appeared to say. These videos were the work of deepfake technology fueled by AI tools.

A romance scam is where the criminal uses a fake identity to gain a victim’s trust and affection. An attractive woman from Hong Kong, who is allegedly experienced in cryptocurrency, might email you with potential spot gold investments. The victim is invited to share in some profits by giving “start-up” money. The cardinal rule in this and in all other potential scans is NEVER give money, personal identity, Social Security number or bank information.

Even if you have been told that your grandson in Nigeria is in jail and needs money to get out, don’t be fooled by this common fraudulent scheme.

There are organizations and resources that can help a scam victim. The Internet Crime Complaint Center, run by the FBI, is a central hub for reporting cyber-related crime. Also, the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection is a place to report scams, as well as a resource to learn about how to avoid them. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation can provide cybersecurity assistance (877-275-3342).

Because scamming is a deception for financial gain, it is generally considered a crime, a type of fraud. If a scammer is caught and convicted of fraud, the scammer could face fines of thousands of dollars and jail time up to a year, plus an order to repay the victim any monetary loss. Wire fraud can result in up to 20 years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines.

According to the United Kingdom’s Financial Ombudsman Service, fraud, a category of crime that includes scams, accounts for 40% of all crimes in England and Wales.

The City of Boulder seems to have sparse data on scam crimes, according to the Boulder Police and crime observers at CU. Boulder PD has reported scams where individuals have passed as bank representatives who stole more than $100,000 from multiple victims.

The Colorado scam statistics in 2024 show that scammers raked in $243 million from residents. There were 14,848 reports made to the FBI Crime Compliant Center.

To conclude on a more positive note, you may get this email, which I received three times in two days: “Sources have shown that your resume qualifies you to be part of our Invited Writers Guild. We will rebrand your books and journal articles and provide you with 100 percent of the royalties. A $1500 deposit from you will free you from all marketing and publishing costs.” I politely declined the offer after my limited research revealed what looked like a scam. I should never have even opened that email!

Spense Havlick is a former member of the Camera Editorial Advisory Board and the Boulder City Council. Email: Havlick@colorado.edu.