SEPTEMBER 20, 2023:
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley says his Office’s Consumer Protection Division has recently received calls about scammers posing as legitimate-sounding organizations. He says it’s important to double check all such contacts and guard personal and financial information.
Jackley said scammers, through phone calls and email messages, have identified themselves as banks, government agencies, local businesses or law enforcement and other entities. He says in many cases, the scammers demand the victim to pay money to avoid being sued or sent to jail, preying on a person’s fear that he or she has done something wrong.
People who receive such calls are encouraged to contact the Division of Consumer Protection at consumerhelp@state.sd.us or call 1-800-300-1986 or 605-773-4400. The public can also sign up for Consumer Alerts via email from the Consumer Protection Division at www.consumer.sd.gov. Email addresses will not be shared with, or sold to, a third party.
The Consumer Protection Division offers these tips to avoid scams:
- Obtain as much information as possible about the “organization” that claims to be calling– name, phone number, time they called, what they said.
- Be wary of a caller demanding that you take immediate action such as sending money via a wire transfer, purchasing gift cards, or using one of the various payment apps such as Venmo or Zelle.
- NEVER provide financial information or money via telephone or email.
- Don’t answer calls from numbers you don’t recognize.
- Hang up, then verify requests for information or payments by calling the organization directly using a publicly available phone number.
- Keep family members aware of what you are doing.
SEPTEMBER 1, 2023:
South Dakotans are now able to receive alerts from the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division via email.
Attorney General Marty Jackley says the alerts will provide subscribers with information about consumer scams as well as tips on how to protect against scams. He says email addresses will NOT be shared or sold to a third party.
People can register for the alerts on the Consumer Protection Division’s website at or at by stopping at the agency’s booth in the Expo Building during the South Dakota State Fair this week (Aug. 31-Sept.4, 2023) in Huron. The new alert system became operational earlier this week (Aug. 30, 2023).
The Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division can be contacted anytime at 1-800-300-1986 or consumerhelp@state.sd.us.
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