Category: Scams

Tom’s phone suddenly loses service. No calls. No texts. Just “No Signal.” He assumes it’s a network issue. Maybe a tower is down. He shrugs it off. A few minutes later, his email password is reset. Then his banking app. Then alerts start coming in – on a device that isn’t his. Tom wasn’t hacked....

Jake sells equipment online. Nothing fancy—just a side business. Listings, messages, occasional sales. One day, a buyer reaches out. They’re interested. Ready to pay. No hassle. Then comes a small complication. “I accidentally sent too much. Can you just send the extra back?” Jake checks his account. The check has been deposited. The money is...

Mike is trying to check his email. He’s not overly computer savvy, but he gets by. Reads the news. Sends messages to family. Pays a few bills online. Then his screen freezes. A loud alert starts blaring. A message fills the screen: “WARNING: Your computer has been infected. Call Microsoft immediately.” There’s a phone number....

  Grandma Barb’s phone rings. It’s her grandson, Billy. She can tell something is wrong immediately. He’s crying. Panicked. “Grandma… I’m in trouble.” Her heart drops. He tells her he’s been in an accident. He was arrested. He needs help—fast. There’s a man on the line now. Calm. Professional. He says he’s a lawyer. Billy...

Mary has been lonely since her husband passed away. After some hesitation, she decided to try online dating. Friends encouraged her. It felt like a step forward. At first, it was awkward. Then she met someone. He was kind. Patient. A good listener. He asked about her life, her family, her memories. He remembered details....

Sarah’s phone lights up. It’s her bank. At least, that’s what it says. The caller ID matches exactly. Same name. Same number she’s seen before. She answers. “Hi Sarah, this is the fraud department. We’ve detected suspicious activity on your account.” Her stomach drops. The caller sounds professional. Calm. Reassuring. They list a transaction she...

The Billion-Dollar Scam Targeting Your Business John runs a construction business. Like many companies, his team occasionally wires money to suppliers—materials, equipment, subcontractors. It’s routine. One morning, John’s office manager, Mary, receives an email. It’s from a supplier they’ve worked with before. Same name. Same email thread. Same conversation history. The message is simple: “Hi...

It starts with a simple text: “Hey, are we still on for lunch?” You reply: “Sorry, wrong number.” But instead of ending there, the conversation continues. What seems like a harmless mistake is often the beginning of a highly sophisticated financial scam targeting bank customers across the U.S. What Is the “Wrong Number” Scam? The...

With the rise of scams and fraudulent activity reported across the nation, South Dakota’s banks and their customers have become the latest target. Disturbingly, several community banks have reported that their customers and even non-customers have received text messages from supposed “banks” or lenders. This alarming development highlights the need to be extra cautious and...