FBI sounds alarm on financial scams in Iowa and nationwide

HIAWATHA — Iowans lost almost $60 million in 2023 to scams, and the FBI has launched a nationwide campaign to raise awareness of the increasing number of financial frauds and scams in the United States.

“Anyone can be a victim of fraud,” Clint Nafey, FBI special agent in charge from the regional Omaha FBI office, said during a Wednesday news conference in Hiawatha. “We’re asking people to resist the pressure to act quickly.”

The campaign is called “Take a Beat,” with the FBI encouraging people to take a minute to analyze a situation before acting whenever they are faced with a potential scam.

Nafey said some of the most common scams showing up nationally are cryptocurrency investment scams, other investment scams, tech support scams and grandparent scams.

The three main hallmarks of scams people should watch for are the victim is contacted out of the blue; the situation leads to a heightened emotional state; and the scammer tries to instill a sense of urgency.

According to an FBI annual report, identity theft was the most common scam in Iowa in 2023 — with 526 victims who lost $10.1 million. But the most money was lost to investment scams, with 126 victims who lost a $12.4 million.

Scams involving compromised business emails also are common in Iowa, with 161 victims losing $10.9 million in 2023.

Multiple cities in Iowa have fallen victim to scams this year in which scammers pretend to be contractors who send online invoices to cities.

Marion fake invoices

In Marion, two people recently reported receiving false invoices from someone pretending to be the city of Marion, according to a Monday news release from the city.

“It appears the scammers scraped information about the potential victims from the city’s Planning and Zoning meeting minutes, then sent the fictitious invoices to them utilizing an email address made to appear as though it came from the City of Marion Planning and Zoning Commission,” the release states.

Neither of the people who received the fake invoices sent any money to the scammers, and the city has reached out to other individuals and businesses whose names appeared in recent meeting minutes to let them know about the scam.

“The city’s computer systems were not breached or compromised, and the information came from a public-facing portal where meeting agendas and minutes are regularly posted,” the release stated. “The email carrier for the fraudulent email account was contacted, and the email account has been disabled.”

Elderly most vulnerable

The FBI’s Nafey said elderly populations are especially vulnerable to personal scams, especially grandparent scams where scammers pretend the victim’s grandchild who’s gotten into a difficult situation and needs money sent immediately.

The FBI, he said, encourages people to talk with older family members about how to identify scams and what to do if they are caught in one.

People can protect themselves from scams by:

It is common for people who have been scammed to feel embarrassed about having been tricked and to avoid telling anyone about the scam or making a report, but the FBI encourages people to come forward.

“Tips from the public are one of the most important tools to stop frauds and scams,” Nafey said.

To report a scam, members of the public can call the FBI tip line at (402) 493-8688 or report it online at tips.fbi.gov or ic3.gov.

Comments: (319) 398-8328; emily.andersen@thegazette.com