WCDO Radio News

The State’s Division of Consumer Protection is warning members of the military community to be aware of scams targeting active-duty service members and veterans. The FTC reports the number of scams targeting the military community increased by 17%, costing victims $684 million in 2025, with 35,215 fraud reports filed. Service members and their families should never give personal information by phone or by clicking on links in emails to an unknown company or person. The Consumer Assistance Helpline 1-800-697-1220 is available Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm, consumer complaints can be filed at Dos.ny.gov/consumerprotection.

The State’s Division of Consumer Protection is providing consumers with tips to protect their money and financial information while using payment apps, after it was reported that last year, consumers nationwide reported over $390 million in losses to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission from App scams, which was about $100 million dollars more than the previous year. If you believe you made a payment to a scammer or find unauthorized payments on your account, report it to the mobile payment app and any bank involved, you can also report fraud to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov and the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand discussed the Trump administration’s cuts to federal agencies that protect seniors from frauds and scams:

(Gillibrand 7-17-25)

Senator Gillibrand said that last year, seniors lost almost $5 billion to scammers; these financial losses can be devastating for older adults with limited income. Gillibrand has called on the Government Accountability Office to examine how cuts affect federal efforts to protect seniors from scams. Tips to help seniors can be found at aging.senate.gov or consumer.ftc.gov.

The State Division of Consumer Protection is providing tips to help older adults avoid financial scams and exploitation on National Senior Citizens Day, which happens to be today. The FBI’s Internet Crime Report estimates that the annual loss to victims aged 60 years and older in the United States is $3.4 billion dollars, the highest of any age group. For more information, go to dos.ny.gov, or visit the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau website at consumerfinance.gov, or the Federal Trade Commission website at consumer.ftc.gov/scams.

The Broome County District Attorney's Office reported that over the last several weeks residents have been targeted by individuals posing as representatives from Publisher Clearing House, informing victims that they have won a substantial prize, the scammers then request payment of various fees and taxes to claim the prize, ultimately defrauding people of their savings. Legitimate sweepstakes organizations do not require winners to pay fees upfront to receive their prizes, also, individuals should never provide personal or financial information over the phone or online unless they are certain of the recipient's identity. To report a scam contact the New York State Attorney General, Consumer Frauds Bureau at 1-800-771-7755, or the Federal Trade Commission at ftc.gov or call 1-877- 382-4357

The U.S. Social Security officials reported a new scam where people posing as Social Security Agents ask unsuspecting residents for cash or gift cards & to meet them in person to hand off the cash. Social Security agents will never pick up money of gift cards from anyone, Officials state that you should stop talking to the scammer, & Call the police and file a police report & File a complaint with the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. Report Social Security-related scams to oig.ssa.gov & ftc.gov.

State Police are reminding the public that if someone calls, texts, emails or messages you on social media and asks you to send money in the form of a gift card, it’s probably a scam.  State Police continue to receive complaints of different scams involving gift cards, some of the scammers claim to be asking to help local small business, a religious organization, or they claim to be from the IRS.  The Federal Trade Commission does collect information about scams at ftc.gov/complaint; if you have lost money, contact local law enforcement.

A.M. NEWS THURSDAY 2-11-21

State Police and the State Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit responded to a report of a dump truck into a residence Wednesday morning at about 8:30 AM.  The dump truck struck a trailer on Caldwell Hill Road near State Route 79 in the town of Lisle.  The accident is still under investigation.  The driver of the dump truck reported arm and neck pain.

State Police have received multiple calls from people scammed out of hundreds of dollars after answering classified ads for purebred puppies for sale. Victims report after answering the ad, the suspects provide a photo of the breed they are looking for and arrange a deposit to be paid. Once the deposit is cleared, the victim is provided an address, which does not exist, to pick up their puppy. State Police said that the scammers request payments through various payments Apps like CashApp, All communication with the “breeder” takes place by text. State Police said that those who are scammed may go to the Better Business Bureau at bbb.org or to the Federal Trade Commission online at reportfraud.ftc.gov or call 877-FTC-Help.

Delaware
County Sheriff's Office is investigating an on-line computer repair scam that
led to significant financial loss to an elderly local resident.  Investigators were contacted by The Delaware
National Bank of Delhi, the customer had fallen victim twice to an on-line
Pop-Up scam and lost thousands of dollars, the victim was stopped from further
issues by an alert UPS employee. The investigation is on-going by Delaware
County Sheriff's Investigators and San Diego County Sheriff’s Office.  Sheriff DuMond reminds the public that they
should contact the Sheriff's Office or local law enforcement if they may be the
target of a scam or identity theft.  On-line
complaint forms are available through the State Attorney General, ag.ny.gov;
the Federal Trade Commission, consumer.ftc.gov; and the FBI at ic3.gov.

Governor Cuomo proposes protecting New York consumers from
predatory and abusive debt collectors, by requiring debt collectors to be
licensed by the State Department of Financial Services, where they would have
to adhere to stringent standards of conduct and empower the State to examine
debt collectors and pull the license of bad services. The proposal will also
codify a FTC rule that prohibits confessions of judgment, which give lenders
the unfettered power to go into court, get a judgment from a clerk and empty
the consumer's bank account.

Governor Cuomo signed a bill into law that will require telemarketers to use accurate caller identification information. The bill is expected to eliminate unwanted calls in which caller id information on the customers phone does not display the telemarketers company or correct phone number. Complaints can be filed with the FTC at 1-888-382-1222.

Delaware County Sheriff Tom Mills reminds residents to be aware of a number of IRS scams that have been reported recently. The scams try to trick taxpayers into providing personal and financial information & may involve intimidation tactics to coerce victims into making false tax payments that are collected by the scammer. Sheriff Mills said that you should not share any personal or financial information with these callers, & that the IRS will never make such calls to private citizens. Those with questions can contact the IRS directly at 1-800-829-1040, you can report scams to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1-800-366-4484, or the Federal Trade Commission at FTC.gov.

Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced that his office has been alerted to a scam involving an individual posing as Sam Wilson from the Attorney General’s Office. Consumers should not return this call to the number provided and should be aware that the Attorney General’s Office would never notify any individual or business about pending litigation in a telephone call. Individuals should contact the Federal Trade Commission at (877) FTC-HELP or ftc.gov, or contact the Attorney General’s Office at (800) 771-7755 or ag.ny.gov.

Attorney General Eric Schneiderman called upon the FTC to update the Telemarketing Sales Rule to better protect consumers from unscrupulous telemarketers. Schneiderman & 36 other Attorney general’s offices have asked the FTC to protect consumers from telemarketing fraud and abuse, an average of only 37.5% of funds raised by telemarketers were retained by the charities & in 50.3% of the campaigns, the charities retained less than 30% of the money raised. Schneiderman has taken action against 8 entities under investigation for fraudulent fundraising

State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman asked New York’s colleges and universities to help combat the “grandparent scam,” where perpetrators impersonate relatives and then fool unsuspecting seniors into sending them money. The scam involves a call to a senior citizen in which the caller impersonates a grandchild claiming to be in serious trouble and asks the unsuspecting grandparent to wire money immediately. The FTC recorded more than 40,000 incidents of grandparent scams since 2010. Schneiderman warns the grandparent scam tends to increase in frequency during school breaks. Read more at ftc.gov.

The State Attorney General’s office, along with the Attorneys General of 49 other states, the FTC, and the FCC, reached a $105 million settlement with AT&T Mobility LLC. The settlement resolves allegations that AT&T Mobility placed on consumers’ mobile telephone bills, charges for third-party services that had not been authorized by consumers, a practice known as “cramming.” The settlement requires AT&T Mobility to pay $20 million to states, including $572,960 to the State of New York and $80 million to the FTC to pay restitution to consumers. The settlement also requires AT&T Mobility to take steps to ensure it bills consumers only for third-party charges that have been authorized

There is a push to ban e-cigarette marketing campaigns targeted at children.  US Senator Charles Schumer said companies are marketing their battery-powered nicotine devices directly to children by adding flavors such as vanilla, bubble gum, or cotton candy to the products. He is co-sponsoring a bill that would require the FTC to ban such marketing.   A recent study found middle and high school students, who smoke e-cigarettes, are 7 times more likely to smoke traditional cigarettes

NYSEG officials announced today that they are aware of fraudulent activities where customers are contacted by email, phone or in person and asked to pay current or past due charges, the payment ends up with scammers, and not NYSEG.  Officials said that NYSEG will not call customers for payment if an account is in good standing; customers are urged to contact the company and sign up for their “AutoPay” service. At NYSEG.com.  Customers, who believe they have been scammed, should immediately contact the Federal Trade Commission at ftc.gov and their local police.

U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer is introducing legislation to toughen the penalties against telemarketing companies that violate the "do not call" rules. Schumer says spammers are taking advantage of new technology and legal loopholes,  he proposes that the penalties be increased to $20,000 dollars for each violation and jail time for repeat offenders. Since August, the FTC has logged as many as 200,000 robo-call complaints a month.

The IRS warned consumers about a phone scam targeting taxpayers. Victims are told they owe money to the IRS and it must be paid promptly through a pre-loaded debit card or wire transfer. If the victim refuses to cooperate, they are then threatened with arrest, deportation or suspension of a business or driver’s license.  The IRS will never ask for a credit card number over the phone, nor request a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer. If you’ve been targeted by this scam, report it at FTC.gov or IRS.gov.