CLEVELAND — In 2024 alone, the Federal Trade Commission says nearly $100 million dollars have been stolen from Ohioans.
They're now warning that number is climbing, with consumer scams on the rise.
"There is a scam for everyone," Jon Miller Steiger, director of the East Central Region of the FTC, said. "Any one of us, on the wrong day, can easily click on the wrong link or pick up the phone when we shouldn't have and end up turning money over or turning information over to scammers."
On Tuesday, Cleveland Division of Police detectives, FBI agents, community leaders, attorneys, and refugees gathered at the Ariel International Center to discuss the troubling trends.
"What we've seen is actually there are more younger people that report being hit by scams than older people," Steiger explained. "But when older people are hit by scams, they tend to lose a lot more money."
During a roundtable discussion, one Cleveland resident spoke up on the behalf of refugees and immigrants, a group she said was increasingly vulnerable because of language barriers.
"A lot of people, this is their first time they are using phones, it's their first time they're using emails," she said. "So anything that comes in, they trust it."
According to the FTC, Ohioans this year made 30,000 reports of theft and 15,000 reports of stolen identity.
Some scammers falsely pose as banks or as private companies, calling and tricking people into giving up sensitive information. Others set traps.
The FTC is tracking a new type of scam where perpetrators will place fake QR code stickers on top of pay-to-park signs. Once the victim scans the fake code, the scammer obtains valuable banking information and passwords.
"Across every scam, the one piece of advice I would give to people is to take their time," Steiger stated. "We're all in a rush. We're all just saying, 'Oh, here’s a QR code, I'll just go over and pay it.' If you take your time and look around, you can see, 'Alright, did someone hastily tape something up, put a sticker on?'"
Experts encourage people to put on two-factor authentication on online accounts, to use diverse passwords, and to never pick up calls you don't recognize. They also emphasize the importance of reporting the scams, saying sometimes victims can feel shame or embarrassment, but it's important to make reports so law enforcement can investigate and others can be warned.
The FBI collects data and reports through their Internet Crime Complaint Center. On the website, Ohioans and all Americans are encouraged to report crimes by filing a complaint.
The FBI stresses the importance of making a report quickly — within 72 hours of the incident. In some cases, they can recover the stolen money.