Rotary speakers discusses scams and identity theft

Reagan Sharp a member of the Consumer Protection Division of the Arkansas Attorney General’s office was the guest speaker of the Nashville Rotary Club, last week.

Sharp mentioned several scams that Arkansans encounter on a daily basis. She said the scams range from counterfeit check scams where criminals attempt to get honest Arkansans to deposit a counterfeit check and forward a small amount to them to Phishing scams which attempt to get unsuspecting people to click on a link that will direct them to a fake website where they will attempt to steal you username and password. Sharp said other scams include the employment offers and family emergency scams.

Sharp said many Arkansans fall for the IRS scam, in which criminals claim you owe money to the IRS and demand payment immediately by using a gift card, wire transfer or cyptocurrancy.

Sharp provided tips to avoid scams and said you should contact the Attorney General’s office if you fall victim to identity theft. She said the Attorney General’s office received 17,470 complaints for identity theft in 2020. Her recommendation was to go paperless in all of your legal transactions.

For more information, visit www.arkansasag.gov.