Scam Alert Archives

Boone County Sheriff’s Office warns residents after AI swatting call

July 19, 2026 10:39 AM Alison Patton, Sutton Parker

A scam that makes people believe their loved ones are in danger using artificial intelligence has hit Boone County, and the sheriff’s office is warning people after a resident reported a call.

According to a Facebook post, the Boone County Sheriff’s Office said the victim received a call Friday that showed their daughter’s contact name and number. The caller allegedly had the daughter’s voice and told the victim she had been kidnapped at gunpoint before another voice demanded money, essentially asking for a ransom.

MSHP warns of scam using patrol’s likeness

June 23, 2026 7:01 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, MO. (KMIZ) The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control is warning the public of a new scam that is using MSHP’s likeness. The release says scammers are using social media to contact targets and telling the victims that they had sent a package to their residence. The victim will then

Missouri attorney general emphasizes World Cup human trafficking prevention

June 10, 2026 8:14 PM Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Human trafficking is believed to impact at least 27.6 million people globally, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Large sporting events like the upcoming FIFA World Cup create a prime environment for traffickers, with big crowds helping them fly under the radar. Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said Wednesday that her

Cole County Sheriff’s Office warns of Apple ID phishing scam that uses fake legal threats

June 4, 2026 2:51 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Cole County Sheriff’s Office is warning the public of a new phishing scam that is targeting Apple users. A press release from the sheriff’s office says text messages and emails are falsely claiming that “an Apple ID or Apple Pay account has been linked to money laundering or other illegal activity.

Experts warn increased pressure during tax season fuels rise in scams

April 10, 2026 7:55 PM Mitchell Kaminski

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) As Tax Day approaches, experts are warning about a rise in scams, with scammers exploiting deadline pressure and new technology to trick victims. According to an analysis by the Better Business Bureau Scam Tracker, tax scams resulted in more than $5.7 million in reported losses in 2025. While only about 13% of

Missouri courts warns of scammers spoofing Casenet

March 18, 2026 5:07 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Missouri courts are warning residents of scammers trying to spoof its website Casenet. Casenet is the website where the public can view charges, court documents and other public information as well as pay fines for traffic tickets. Missouri courts gave the warning in a press release on its website. The official Casenet

Boone County Sheriff’s Office issues warning on phone scam

January 6, 2026 6:01 PM Dan Kite

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A press release from the Boone County Sheriff’s Office issued a renewed warning regarding a phone scam involving individuals posing as members of the department. While the release says the scam has been going on for several years, it states the scam continues to evolve and has been ramping up again in

Banks say business fraud is surging to record high in Mid-Missouri

December 16, 2025 10:57 AM Haley Swaino

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.

Randolph County woman nearly loses $1,000 in jury duty scam

December 11, 2025 7:54 PM Mitchell Kaminski

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

Columbia warns residents about fraudulent email scam

August 29, 2025 5:42 PM Euphenie Andre

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

GoFundMe gives scam-spotting guidelines following deadly tornadoes

March 17, 2025 2:17 PM Erika McGuire

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

Boone County Recorder of Deeds warns of mail scam

February 3, 2025 3:15 PM Ryan Shiner

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

Cybersecurity expert offers tips on how to not fall victim to online shopping scams

December 2, 2024 7:35 PM Haley Swaino

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).

Randolph County Sheriff’s Office warns of impersonation scam again

June 28, 2024 6:48 PM Ryan Shiner

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

Phishing scams reach record high according to the Better Business Bureau

June 14, 2024 11:48 AM Morgan Buresh

Phishing scams are on the rise, according to data released by the Better Business Bureau.

Cole County Sheriff warns of jury duty scam

June 10, 2024 2:34 PM Ryan Shiner

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

Scammers trying to get residents to pay ‘tolls,’ Camden County Sheriff says

May 1, 2024 6:19 PM Ryan Shiner

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

New Federal Trade Commission rule aims to stop impersonation scams

April 4, 2024 11:39 AM Morgan Buresh

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.

Cole County Sheriff warns of scammers impersonating Sheriff’s Office

March 14, 2024 3:17 PM Ryan Shiner

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

Luetkemeyer warns of scammers impersonating him online

March 11, 2024 4:35 PM Ryan Shiner

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.”