It’s National Consumer Protection Week (March 3-9, 2024) and South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley is urging consumers to take time to safeguard their personal and financial information.
Jackley says the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division received more than 64,000 calls, inquiries and complaints in 2023 from consumers who reported they had been a victim of a scam. He says while many of the scams are ones that have been used for years, scammers are becoming more adept at using social media to intimidate consumers– regardless of their age– into giving up their personal information.
Some safety reminders are:
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Do not give into high pressured sales tactics.
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Never accept items that have been mailed to you that you did not order.
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Always get any repair work, construction orders and other types of contracts in writing with expected cost estimates and deadlines.
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Hang up on robocalls.
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Be cautious about free trial offers.
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Do not deposit a check and then wire money.
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Talk to someone you can trust before you provide money or personal information to someone who contacts you.
Jackley says consumers who believe they may have been a victim of any type of scam should contact the Attorney General’s Office’s Consumer Protection Division at 1-800-300-1986 or at https://consumer.sd.gov/.
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