Central Bank of Boone County, Central Bank of Audrain County and Central Bank of Moberly are sounding the alarm as business fraud incidents reach an all-time high this holiday season.
According to the banks, scammers are targeting businesses using publicly available information, including pandemic-era loan lists from the U.S. Paycheck Protection Program, to make fraudulent calls.
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MOBERLY, Mo. (KMIZ) On the morning of Nov. 18, Marlena Wisdom got a call from an unknown caller that nearly cost her a thousand dollars. The caller ID said it was an unknown caller, prompting Wisdom to believe the call was coming from the police department. “When I see that, I think of the police
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The City of Columbia is alerting residents to a new email scam targeting people with short-term rentals or those applying for short-term rental permits. Scammers have been impersonating Clinton Smith, the city’s incoming Community Development Director. Smith, who officially begins his new role on September 29, has more than 17 years of
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Several tornadoes touched down in Missouri on Friday, destroying homes, businesses and schools, prompting victims to create GoFundMe accounts asking for donations to cover disaster relief. Severe weather events also prompt scammers to lurk and take advantage of a desperate situation. There are several guidelines to use when trying to determine whether
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Boone County Recorder of Deeds Office in a Monday press release warned residents of a mail scam. The release says that fake notices titled “Recorded Deed Notice” have been mailed to residences. The “notices” are design to look official, but aren’t affiliated with the government and are trying to mislead people
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The FBI received reports from almost 12,000 victims of online shopping scams during the 2022 holiday shopping season, according to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
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MOBERLY, Mo. (KMIZ) The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents again about scammers falsely calling themselves deputies. The Sheriff’s Office wrote on its Facebook page on Friday that someone was calling residents, and was claiming to be a “Deputy Jonathan Baker.” “We do not have a deputy by that name. In the event you
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Phishing scams are on the rise, according to data released by the Better Business Bureau.
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) The Cole County Sheriff is warning residents of a jury duty scam where callers are once again posing as deputies. A Monday press release from the sheriff’s office, the scam involves scammers calling residents while falsely identifying themselves as deputies. The scammer tells the victims that they either missed jury duty
Continue Reading CAMDENTON, Mo. (KMIZ) The Camden County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents about a scam claiming to be “collecting tolls” for the Lake of the Ozarks Community Bridge. Previous reporting indicates that tolls for the Lake of the Ozarks Community Bridge were expected to stop by Tuesday. The sheriff’s office confirmed in a post that tolls
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A rule has gone into effect this week that the Federal Trade Commission says will allow it to crack down on scammers impersonating government agencies or businesses.
Continue Reading JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Cole County Sheriff John Wheeler in a Thursday press release warned the public of scammers trying to impersonate his office. Wheeler said in the release that scammers are trying to call residents to tell them they have warrants for arrest in order to get them to pay the scammer over the
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-Missouri) on Monday warned of scammers impersonating him on Facebook messenger. Luetkemeyer shared that message, along with screenshots of a fake profile impersonating him on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. The screenshots appear to show the profile trying to get residents to join a “program.”
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The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is warning people in its newsletters this month to be on the lookout for impersonators.
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Whether people are hoping to find someone to share Valentine’s Day with this year or casually scrolling through dating apps, the FBI is sharing tips to make sure people don’t go looking for love in all the wrong places.
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The Better Business Bureau is warning people to watch out for fakes when shopping for team gear and sports memorabilia around the Super Bowl.
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Ameren wants customers in Missouri and Illinois to be aware of fake website listings that mimic the utility’s site.
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Monday marks the beginning of tax season, and there are a few things people should be aware of before trusting someone to help with a tax return. The Missouri Department of Revenue will begin accepting electronically filed state tax returns on Monday, the same day the IRS starts accepting federal tax returns
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) An elderly Jefferson City man was exploited out of more than $40,000 this month as part of a tech-support scheme, and police want to make sure it doesn’t happen to anyone else. Two Texas men were charged this week with the financial exploitation of an elderly person after they were accused
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The Mizzou Tigers are heading to the Cotton Bowl, and those looking to attend will need to make sure they’re buying a reliable ticket.
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