Fraudsters aren't slowing down and Friday, the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office took action, hosting a series of fraud prevention seminars on Friday packed with real-life cases and quick, practical advice to protect your money.
The DA’s Office shared that investment scams are growing by the billions with one local San Luis Obispo County law enforcement agency detailing a complex case where scammers overseas posed as a woman pretending to want a relationship.
The “woman” then asked the person they were speaking with to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in crypto once they built up "trust."
The person on the other end of that conversation ended up being an undercover detective.
Another thing shared at the forum related to credit card tips. When using your credit card, your advised to prioritize "tap to pay" or Apple Pay as swiping your card leaves the information found on the magnetic strip on the back vulnerable to skimmers.
Some of the people in attendance at the event shared what brought them out.
"Financial is always a concern for everybody, I think,” saidKen Goodwin of San Luis Obispo
"Real estate fraud, a lot of it. I have some property, and, you know, you have to be on the ball all the time,’ said Steve Yungbluth of San Luis Obispo
Common real estate fraud schemes include scammers impersonating San Luis Obispo County property owners and contacting real estate agents to fraudulently list homes for sale.
The scammers then claim to be out of the area or undergoing cancer treatment to avoid in-person meetings before submitting forged escrow documents and fake notary stamps to complete the transaction.
More than 150 people turned out for the first session of the day geared toward local residents. Another approximately 50 people attended the afternoon session on real estate fraud and around one dozen others attended the business owner seminar, according to the D.A.
