Eggs and Scam: Chief Teynor talks scams, fraud during breakfast-time presentation
“Loneliness will create victimization more than anything else in the world, and that’s why I tell you to keep in touch with your family members so they know that you care, that you’re paying attention to these things, and you don’t want them to become a victim of this.” Police Chief Kyle Teynor gave a presentation on fraud and scams at Huckleberry’s on March 26. The presentation was hosted by the Prairie du Chien Area Chamber of Commerce. (Steve Van Kooten/Courier Press)
By Steve Van Kooten
On Wednesday, March 26, at 7 a.m., the Prairie du Chien Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a fraud presentation at Huckleberry’s Restaurant with Prairie du Chien Police Chief Kyle Teynor as the speaker.
During his speech, Teynor touched on the different types of schemes preying upon Wisconsin residents, including fraudulent website links.
“Phishing is an overall common phrase meaning ‘to gather information,’” said Teynor. “So, you may have people call you up and ask you the most off-the-wall questions about certain things.”
Scammers are becoming increasingly deft at acquiring people’s personal information, including the places they bank. There are multiple ways criminals can access your personal information, according to Teynor.
“There are a lot of open-source documents that people can [reach on] banking institutions, your mail and things like that,” he said. “So, just be cognizant of that.”
Ransomware services can lock down systems and digital documents by going through server paths. And it’s not just home computers. Large organizations have their entire operations usurped by digital hostage takers.
“Government entities have been victims of this and have had all of the safeguards — or thought they had all of the safeguards in place — to avoid this, but it happens,” said Teynor.
The police chief reminded attendees not to click links sent to you from sources you cannot identify, regardless if it’s a delayed package notification, an unpaid toll booth fee or an unsolicited “remote job opportunity.”
Wisconsin residents reported 30,287 fraud cases in 2024, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Losses amounted to approximately $106 million, with a median loss of $357.
Imposter scams and identity theft were among the most common categories reported to the FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network.
Nationally, more than $12 billion was lost to fraud this past year, up from $10 billion in 2023. Across the country, investment scams accounted for nearly half of the fraud losses in 2024.
One of the more prevelant schemes seen by local law enforcement right now is fraudulent toll booth messages.
“It’s all a scam. If you’re traveling and you’re going through toll booths, most of the time you’re setting up accounts in advance, you’re entering your plate number, and you’re prepaying or paying after a certain amount of time,” said Teynor.
While most scammers use phones or the internet as a vector to contact their victims, there is a popular swindle that is done face-to-face: missed jury duty fines.
“This is a fairly common one, too. We get crime alerts often through a network the state has,” he said. “It’s been a common one, especially on the east side of the state, and the crazy part is they are actually sending people to the homes of people who missed jury duty to collect the fine amount.”
Criminals come to people’s homes and take cash while impersonating a legitimate collector. Teynor said amounts can be thousands of dollars per victim.
The most reliable way for someone to stay ahead of scams is to be vigilant. Shredding sensitive documents, contacting your bank when traveling and actively monitoring your finances are ways to avoid getting flimflammed.
“My biggest advice is to pay attention to your accounts. If you see something suspicious, get in contact with your banking institution,” said Teynor.
Many banks and credit unions help members monitor their accounts, including through text message and e-mail notifications. Check with your bank to see what options are available.
A full breakdown of reports received in 2024 is now available on the FTC’s data analysis site at https://ftc.gov/exploredata.
Other schemes include:
• Companies that demand payment through gift cards. “Do not pay any legitimate corporation through gift cards. This is the most common way we see. We’ve seen victims who’ve bought dozens of gift cards and given the numbers off of them to perpetrators,” said Teynor.
• Arrest phone calls — pay a fine or go to jail. “We don’t typically call people when they have a warrant for their arrest. We will make that time and date on our schedule,” said Teynor.
• Card skimmers. Teynor said that credit card skimmers are becoming more prevalent, with ATMs and machines accessible outside being a more likely target for criminals to install the device. “Where you insert your card —like at Kwik Trip, for example — there’s a top and bottom that supports the entry and exit of your card. I just grab those two things and push and pull on them to see if they come loose,” said Teynor. “It’s just a quick push and pull to see if it’s legitimate.”
• Medicaid, Medicare and social security scams are ubiquitous, as are scams claiming there are unclaimed COVID stipends that are accessible for people. “You think it’s a legitimate thing because that’s a government entity and service, and we want to trust it,” said Teynor.
