SCAM UPDATE- Real ID Scam Takes Advantage of Confusion and Urgency

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued a warning to consumers about a Real ID scam. Similar to the Good to Go scam (Toll Road scam) fraudsters pretend to be from a state DMV or in the case of Washington State from the Department of Licensing (DOL) in an unexpected text message, email, or phone call to tell you that you can skip the lines and expedite your application for a Real ID. All you have to do is click the link, give some information and you will get your Real ID. Observers have also seen ads on social media claiming to help you expedite your application for a Real ID for a fee.

The problem is that there (unfortunately) is no way out of going to a DOL office to apply for or renew a driver’s license. If you receive an email, text, or phone call telling you that you can get your Real ID driver’s license in any other way, that is a scam!

While there have not been any reports of this scam in the local press or by Washington State, other states have seen the scam and national organizations such as the FTC, AARP, and the Better Business Bureau have been warning consumers to watch out for it since before the May 7 deadline that mandated Real ID as being required to board domestic flights and certain federal facilities.

The fact that the FTC has issued this warning after the deadline indicates that the scam is still going around nationwide. Where the urgency before May 7 might have been to receive a Real ID driver’s license before the deadline the scammers now could play on a sense of urgency if you need to take a domestic flight in the near future and do not have a Real ID compliant driver’s license or any of a number of acceptable ID’s such as a passport, U.S. Military ID, Permanent Resident Card (Green Card), Border Crossing Card, etc. As with most scams, the Real ID scam plays on urgency to get you emotional and to act without thinking.

Remember, the Department of Licensing will not contact you via email, text, or a phone call. And they do not want to be paid with crypto currency or gift cards. If you need to apply for or renew your driver’s license, go directly to the Department of Licensing web site to find out how to make your application.

 

 

 

Federal Trade Commission;

https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2025/06/yes-going-dmv-only-way-avoid-real-id-scam

 

WBTS NBC10 News, Boston:

https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/nbc10-boston-about-us/2834500/

 

AARP:

https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/avoid-real-id-scams/?msockid=1ccaa3490741631714d9b3fb03416160

 

Better Business Bureau:

https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/31751-bbb-tip-what-you-need-to-know-about-getting-a-real-id

 

Washington State Department of Transportation:

 https://dol.wa.gov/driver-licenses-and-permits/renew-or-replace-driver-license

https://dol.wa.gov/id-cards/real-id

 

South Snohomish County Crime Watch:

https://ssnoccrimewatch.blogspot.com/2024/07/scams-good-to-go-scam.html

 

 

SNOHOMISH COUNTY- Fireworks and the 4th of July

 

We are two weeks away from the 4th of July and the urge to discharge fireworks. Snohomish County limits areas where you can discharge fireworks on the 4th. To be sure that you are legal to use fireworks check out this map from the Snohomish County Fire Marshal's Office- https://snofire7.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=50c8496093d94160933bffbc16929c98.

 

If you have questions, have to report a fire/injury due to fireworks, or have a complaint about fireworks in your area here is a checklist to help you know what number to call, from Snohomish County 911- https://x.com/911Snohomish/status/1936031668868931824?t=K8fxPATX_TQhz-2II75aQA&s=09.

 

REPORTING SCAMS- Where to Report a Scam

When it comes to reporting a scam, it can be confusing to know who to report to. Law enforcement agencies always want you to report criminal activity or suspicious activity. They use the information that you provide to help them to investigate and apprehend criminals. You may not always see a result, but they say that your information can be important and helpful to them.

The problem is though, when it comes to scams it can be confusing on who to report the crime to. With most local crimes like a burglary, car theft, or assault, we have been trained to call 911, and a deputy or officer will follow up to investigate. Not with scams. There are many agencies that will take reports of scams. But there is no one agency responsible for investigating or charging scammers.

And who you report to can depend on the nature of the scam. Were the scammers pretending to be from the IRS? Tell the IRS. Did the scammers use the U.S. mail system? Tell the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Were the scammers impersonating a local utility or a local law enforcement agency? Tell that utility or law enforcement.

But if you have lost money or someone has stolen your personal information, Social Security number, bank account or credit card numbers, etc., a crime has been committed. So, who should you report the crime to?

The first place is your local police agency. Calling 911 to report the scam is a basic step. Having a police report can help with claims to your bank, credit card company, or other agency that you may need to contact. And as with other crimes, reporting in a timely manner is important to having a chance of justice. Most victims do not recover any money that they have lost. However, there have been instances of victims recovering funds when they have reported the crime immediately after the crime occurred. The report will be reviewed and evaluated for investigation. A limitation local law enforcement has is that it investigates and receives many reports of local crimes, and local police receive many scam reports daily. Also, crimes of violence, like assaults and homicides, take precedence over property crimes and fraud.

Another key agency to make your report to is the FBI through its Internet Crime Complaint Center (https://www.ic3.gov/). The FBI conducts criminal investigations for many crimes including fraud and scams. It takes reports about scams through the Internet Crime Complaint Center. Through the reports the FBI builds cases to charge suspects. The IC3 is overloaded with reports so the FBI usually does not respond to individual reports. The information in the reports is valuable to help with fraud investigations.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) also receives complaints about scams at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/ and for identity theft at https://www.identitytheft.gov/. The FTC charges scammers civilly and it educates citizens about scams and how to prevent becoming victimized by scams. It uses the information in its own scam investigations and education efforts. It also shares the information with other government law enforcement agencies at the federal, state, and local levels as well as internationally. As part of the reporting process the FTC website will provide you with a checklist of things to do to protect your accounts and identity in the wake of financial theft or identity theft. Like the FBI the FTC will most likely not contact you regarding your specific case but use the information that you provide along with the information that others provide to determine scam trends for its investigations and educational efforts. Sharing this information with law enforcement agencies is important. The FTC claims that it shares its data with 2,800 law enforcement agencies, allowing them to look for trends and clues that they can use in their own fraud investigations.

As noted earlier, sometimes the character of the scam may be of interest to certain law enforcement agencies. For example, if you are approached by someone claiming to be an IRS agent demanding payment of back taxes the IRS will want to know. For information about IRS scams and how to report to the IRS go to https://www.irs.gov/help/tax-scams.

Scams can come through the mail. While this means of communication has not received much publicity in the last few years, scams can come to you through the mail. If you are approached by a scammer through the mail the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) will want to know. For information about scams and how to report to USPIS go to https://www.uspis.gov/tips-prevention.

While there is no one phone number or agency to report scams, it is important to report scams. At least report it to your local sheriff/police and the FBI.

 

The following links have suggestions on what to do if you are victimized by a scam:

Consumer Reports:

https://www.consumerreports.org/scams-fraud/scam-or-fraud-victim-what-to-do/?msockid=1ccaa3490741631714d9b3fb03416160

 

Federal Trade Commission:

https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-do-if-you-were-scammed

 

AARP:

https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/what-to-do-after-scam/?intcmp=AE-FRDSC-MOR-R2-POS3

https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/how-to-report-fraud-file-complaints/

 

 

 

SNOHOMISH COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE- Traffic Safety

Traffic safety is an important aspect of all of our lives. The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office has posted its latest issue of its crime prevention newsletter, “Partners in Crime Prevention,” with information about traffic safety and reminders of how you can travel safely on our county and state roads.

Did you know that most fatal crashes occur within 25 miles from home? For more information on traffic safety, check out the latest issue:

 

Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office:

https://www.snohomishcountywa.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/7287

 

RECOVERY SCAMS- Fraudsters Come Back for More

Like retailers, scammers like repeat customers. Retailers try to earn repeat business by selling quality products at good prices and providing good service. Scammers get repeat customers by manipulating victims over and over again.

Some scammers will keep a list of victims who have surrendered money to return with another scam to try to get more money. Other scammers purchase victim lists (known as sucker lists in the “trade”) for a list of people who would be more likely to be manipulated in a scam.

One scam that fraudsters use is a Recovery (or Refund) Scam. If someone has been victimized in a scam, the scammer may come back pretending to be a trustworthy government agency, a recovery company, advocacy group, or law firm to offer their services. This could be to process a refund or to work through the bureaucracy to pursue your claim.

They will make lavish promises that they can recover your lost funds. They will claim that they have a very high success rate for their “clients.”

But they need to be paid a “retainer fee,” “processing fee,” “administrative charge,” “tax,” “shipment and handling charge.” They may also want some personal information to help process your claim such as social security number, checking, debit, or other financial account number.

There are legitimate recovery companies, but often only do the filing that you can do for free.

Being scammed is a devasting experience. And it is natural to want to recover any lost funds. But be careful.

·         Ignore unsolicited offers. If you have an interest in a specific organization, such as a law firm, do a web search with the name of the firm and keywords such as “scam,” “fraud” or “complaint.” You can also look up companies and charities on the Washington State Secretary of State website- https://www.sos.wa.gov/. You can also look up a business to see if they are a member of the Better Business Bureau- https://www.bbb.org/.

·         Reject pressure tactics. Scammers use pressure to get you emotional so that you act emotionally not logically.

·         Be leery of anyone who guarantees that they can return all of your money.

·         Walk away from up-front fees. Scammers will charge up-front fees to start getting money out of you. And they may string you along with one more fee. Then one more fee.

If you are scammed, you will feel foolish. Remember, you have been victimized by a criminal. It is the criminal who is at fault for stealing your money and possibly your personal information.

 

 

 

 

Federal Trade Commission:

https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/refund-and-recovery-scams

 

 

AARP:

https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/recovery-scams/

It can be possible to recover scammed funds. Here are a few tips:

https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/recovering-stolen-money/?msockid=1ccaa3490741631714d9b3fb03416160

 

 

FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3):

https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2024/PSA240624

https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/sandiego/news/fbi-san-diego-seizes-cryptocurrency-recovery-websites

https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/operation-level-up-how-the-fbi-is-saving-victims-from-cryptocurrency-investment-fraud

 

 

Financial Regulatory Authority (FINRA):

https://www.finra.org/investors/insights/recovery-scams

 

 

 

SCAM UPDATE- Scam Losses Continue to Grow

We hear about scams all of the time and it seems there are more ways scammers try to take your money or your personal information so that they can take your money. Several government agencies and non-profit organizations attempt to track scams and their impact on citizens.

One of the key agencies tracking scams and fraud is the FBI. It investigates reports of scams that it receives through its web site at www.ic3.gov. It analyzes information it receives to determine the direction of its investigations. It recently published an annual report on the scam trends it has observed in 2024.

The FBI reported a record $16.6 billion in losses for 2024, a 33% increase in losses from 2023. The average reported loss was $19,372.  It received around 860,000 total complaints in 2024 or about 2,000 complaints per day. That compares with the beginning of collecting scam/fraud complaints in the early 2000’s when the FBI averaged 2,000 fraud complaints every month.

The FBI also noted that people over the age of 60 suffered the most losses and submitted the most complaints.

The report showed concern about the reported increase in losses and reported incidents in spite of its enforcement efforts. The report noted that the FBI has been active in trying to bring online fraudsters to justice. In 2024 it shut down LockBit one of the world’s most active ransomware groups. It also conducted a variety of enforcement actions that disbanded fraud and laundering syndicates, shut down scam call centers, shuttered illicit marketplaces, and put hundreds of online fraudsters in jail.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) also tracks fraud complaints through its https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/ website. The FTC charges fraudsters in civil court, does education on how to avoid fraud and shares the data that it collects on fraud complaints with national, state, and local law enforcement agencies.

The FTC’s 2024 report shows that it received 2.6 million fraud reports with a total reported loss of $12.5 billion, an increase of $2.5 billion from 2023. More than 1 in 3 people who reported a scam also reported losing money. People lost over $3 billion to scams that started online. When scammers contacted victims via phone call, text message, or email, people lost $1.9 billion. And people lost more money per person (a median average of $1,500 according to the FTC) when they talked to the scammer over the phone.

In contrast to the FBI, the FTC reported that younger people reported losing money more often than older people. But, when older people lost money, they lost far more than younger people.

The top 5 scams reported to the FTC were,

1.      Imposter scams

2.      Online shopping

3.      Business and job opportunities

4.      Investments

5.      Internet services

The increase in losses to scams and fraud schemes that are accelerated by our modern technology shows that fraud is a continuing and growing problem for our society. As noted by the FBI, national law enforcement agencies, including the IRS, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, FTC, etc. are attempting to hold fraudsters to account. Organizations such as AARP, the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), Better Business Bureau, and the National Cybersecurity Alliance undertake educational campaigns to warn citizens about fraud and provide tips to citizens to avoid fraud.

Modern fraudsters are agile crooks. They find new ways to scam organizations and individuals. They refine old techniques. They use new technology such as AI to social engineer their victims into giving money and personal information. Plus, with modern communications, they can victimize people on the other side of the world, making attempts at bringing them to justice more difficult.

Clearly, law enforcement agencies at the federal, state, and local levels need to find new, innovative ways to bring international fraudsters to justice and to find new ways to prevent fraud from victimizing more citizens before the rising trend of losses to fraud will fall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FBI:

https://www.fbi.gov/news/press-releases/fbi-releases-annual-internet-crime-report

https://www.ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2024_IC3Report.pdf

 

Federal Trade Commission:

https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2025/03/top-scams-2024?utm_campaign=people_reported_losing_mo&utm_content=1741716021&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook%2Ctwitter&s=09

https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/csn-annual-data-book-2024.pdf

Here is an example of the type of enforcement action that the FTC conducts,

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/05/ftc-action-ends-ecommerce-empire-builders-online-business-opportunity-scam

 

 

AARP:

https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/biggest-scams-2025/?cmp=EMC-MIM-GOI-OTH-FRD-1997204-2084002-9159585-NA-04032025-FraudResourcesApril_NonWDA-MS1-BeInformed-BTN-P4_FEA-Fraud&encparam=WnvEyp%2fiTaKWUyvgb9wdGFaTDfrqFFWXvVB%2fMiAIV5E%3d

 

The Record:

Here is an example of the type of operation the FBI is involved with to fight international cyber criminals,

https://therecord.media/poland-arrests-four-ddos-hire

 

SCAM UPDATE- Local Law Enforcement Issue Warnings

Scams seem to saturate our lives. Two Snohomish County law enforcement agencies have recently issued warnings about scams that are victimizing Snohomish County citizens.

The Herald reports that the Everett Police Department has warned citizens to be on the lookout for skimmers where they pay for gas, use an ATM, or purchase their groceries. Skimmers have been a long-time technique to collect your credit card or debit card account information. The fraudster who deploys skimmers can use the information to make purchases for himself or can sell the data to other fraudsters for their use.

A police department spokesman told The Herald that they continue to receive reports of skimmers being placed throughout the city.

Skimmers can be difficult to detect. Although sometimes the installation can be not quite perfect so that they look loose, crooked, or the terminal looks like it has been tampered with.

The Everett police recommend using ATMs in indoor well-lit locations. Also, set up text or email alerts on your accounts to help monitor your transaction history. Be sure to regularly monitor your bank and credit card transactions. And use tap-to-pay wherever you can.

Report any unauthorized transactions to your bank immediately. If you suspect that a credit card terminal has a skimmer, tell the business right away.

If you have any information about skimming incidents or know of a suspect who installs skimmers, please contact the Everett Police Department at the EPD Tip Line at (425) 257-8450 or contact Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound at (800) 222-TIPS.

For more information about skimmers check out this article from the AARP- https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/credit-card-skimmers/?intcmp=AE-FRDSC-MOR-R2-POS3

The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office issued a reminder that law enforcement agencies will not call or send an email and demand immediate payment. In a Facebook post it noted that it continues to receive reports from the public of scammers posing as Sheriff’s Office deputies, sergeants, and lieutenants. The reports note that the scammers are using the names of Sheriff’s Office real staff.

Typically, when scammers impersonate local government officials, they will claim that you missed jury duty, and you need to pay a fine. They also might claim that there is a warrant for your arrest, for missing jury duty or for another violation and to get out of being arrested, you need to pay a fine.

Remember, no legitimate local police agency will call you to tell you that they are on their way to arrest you and demand that you pay a fine in lieu of being arrested.

If you receive a phone call like this let the local police agency know. You can also report it to the Federal Trade Commission at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/.

 

 

 

The Herald:

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/skimming-devices-reported-in-everett-at-gas-stations-atms/

 

Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office:

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1100089885477775&set=a.226070289546410

 

Federal Trade Commission:

https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2024/09/did-you-get-call-or-email-saying-you-missed-jury-duty-and-need-pay-its-scam

https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-avoid-government-impersonation-scam#other

 

AARP:

https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/jury-duty/?intcmp=AE-FWN-LIB2-POS14