In the current day and age, spam calls and emails have targeted millions of Americans, and some of the scammers have found success in stealing exorbitant amounts of money.

The people behind these schemes tend to target the elderly in attempts to take advantage of their lack of knowledge with technology.

According to the Fraud Fighters website, over $3 billion are stolen from Americans over the age of 60 every year. Iowa Fraud Fighters commissioner Doug Ommen was available for a phone interview with the Tama Toledo News Chronicle and answered questions relating to the types of scams that people fall victim to, ways to prevent being scammed and why he got involved with the program in the first place.

It launched in 2013 after Iowans reported suffering significant financial losses.

“This helped the decision making process that this is an important way to help protect people and give out information to prevent this from happening in the future,” Ommen said.

Ommen is Iowa’s insurance commissioner and previously served for the state of Missouri.

“I always considered this to be really important. There is significant value in helping older Iowans protect themselves and to help them understand the scams,” Ommen said when asked why he got involved with Fraud Fighters.

Iowa’s Fraud Fighters have a clear mission, and it’s to help inform Iowans on how to avoid and prevent themselves from falling victim to these scams.

The scams this program comes across most often come as small dollar value losses, with the imposter claiming to be someone that they are not, using an alias like an Amazon worker, utility payments and jury duty, to name a few. These scams all happen over the phone.

Specifically with the Amazon portion of the scam, the imposter will make it seem like they’re having an issue with a package and gain the person’s information by indicating there is something wrong with their order.

With the emergence of crypto currency, it has become even easier for scammers to take advantage of people due to them not having a large amount of experience or knowledge in this new market.

“It’s really important to understand what you’re investing in, really understand and appreciate what you’re getting involved with or ask a trusted advisor,” Ommen said.

According to Ommen, the best things to know are to not make decisions quickly.

“Nothing important ever has to be decided quickly,” he said. “Don’t make decisions alone. That’s something that scammers look for. Make sure you talk to someone about the financial decisions you’re making, and always double check. After you’ve done those first two things, make sure to check again.”

Scammers know that oftentimes they can make older Iowans feel alone and isolated, which in turn makes someone a better target for fraud.

The Iowa Fraud Fighters will be in Tama County at the Meskwaki Casino on June 29 at 11:30 a.m. These events are free to attend and will include a complimentary lunch. .

If you have questions about investment verification or how to report fraud, call the Iowa Insurance Division at 877-955-1212 for assistance.

If you would like to RSVP for this event, you can by calling 866-559-7114 or doing so online here: https://www.iowafraudfighters.gov/event/fraud-fighters-tama/.