Attorney General Jon Bruning joined Better Business Bureau President Jim Hegarty and Lincoln Postmaster Kerry Kowalski to increase awareness about recent scams that are targeting Nebraskans.
The Attorney General’s Office launched a new consumer-based twitter account, @NEAGConsumer, to help alert Nebraskans quickly to emerging trends in consumer complaints.
In 2012, the Attorney General’s Office received more than 450 consumer complaints related to scams and fraud, Buning’s office said in a press release.
Common scams like fake checks, lottery letters and mystery shopper job offers may arrive via email or through postal mail.
“Phony telephone solicitations, email scams and fraudulent lottery letters all have commonalities. Each of these scams is designed to help steal from the receiver – money, personal information, or both,” said Lincoln Postmaster Kerry Kowalski, in the press release.
BBB President Jim Hegarty encouraged Nebraskans to shred documents with identifying information and to use opt-out options to limit mail and phone solicitations.
“The first line of defense against scammers is to keep information out of their hands,” said Hegarty in the press release.
To reduce mail solicitations, consumers can visit www.optoutprescreen.com or call 1-888-567-8688. The phone number and website are operated by the major consumer reporting companies.
Bruning urged consumers to monitor credit reports regularly and noted a recent study by the Federal Trade Commission. The study showed 20 percent of people have errors on their consumer credit reports.
Each year, consumers are entitled to one free copy of their credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) through www.annualcreditreport.com.
If consumers fail to recognize all activity on their credit reports, the report may have clerical errors – or they may be victims of identity theft.
“It is the consumer’s responsibility to alert the listing credit agency to any suspicious activity,” said Bruning. “And all correction requests or suspicious activity reports should be made in writing.”