LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) -Scammers target everyone, from across state lines and oceans, trying to get at a person’s hard-earned money. While many go unreported, at least a few each day is reported in Lincoln.
Last week, one of those was Tammy Tobias, a Lincoln woman who was scammed after trying to add a new member to her family.
“A friend of mine knew I wanted another dog and she saw this post on Facebook and said ‘hey look at these Yorkies,’” Tobias said.
Tammy reached out to the person she thought was in Lincoln, who she thought was selling Yorkie puppies, and put down a $255 deposit through Cash App to reserve the last female puppy in the litter before it was gone.
“Then they asked for more money and I’m like wait a minute something is wrong here,” Tobias said. “Just a gut feeling.”
She was the victim of an imposer scam, where someone pretends to be somebody they’re not. The Attorney General’s Office sees imposer scams ranging from callers pretending to be with the IRS, the electric company, a jailer holding a grandchild for bail, or just like in Tammy’s case, someone selling something they never intended to hand over.
“If the offer is too good to be true it probably is,” said Ryan Sothan, Outreach Coordinator at the Attorney General’s Office. “If it’s too bad to be believed don’t fall for the bait. If it’s too compelling to ignore do some careful checking.”
The Attorney General’s Office said imposer scams are the most common type…
