When Phil Weiser says it’s more dangerous than ever to be a consumer, he’s not exaggerating. Colorado’s Attorney General opened the second episode in KVNF’s Local Motion series on fraud with a warning for listeners: “You have a lot of different ways you can be defrauded.”
Some of those schemes are decades old — but others are frighteningly new. With tools like artificial intelligence and information gathered from social media, scammers are simulating the voices of loved ones and calling targets with urgent demands for cash, Bitcoin, or gift cards.
Because of social media, Weiser explains, “people may know your grandchild is in Spain right now. You get a call and they say your grandchild’s in jail. And it sounds like your grandchild — because using artificial intelligence, it’s very easy to simulate someone’s voice.”
In many cases, these scams are effective because they follow a pattern. “They ask you to act right away. That’s a tell,” Weiser says. “Their whole scheme only works when they pressure you. Second, they ask for gift cards, Bitcoin, or cash — because those are untraceable.”
The advice he offers is simple: Don’t act. Pause. And independently verify what you’re being told. “Call the actual body who you think you’re dealing with,” he says. “Then you’re going to be told it’s a scam.”
The case for tighter regulation
One theme that emerges throughout the episode is the need for stronger consumer protections — especially when it comes to cryptocurrency.
Brody Wilson, host of Local Motion, notes that most people can’t withdraw more than $500 at a traditional ATM. “It’s flabbergasting,” he says, “that somebody can walk up and drop ten grand into a Bitcoin ATM.”
Weiser agrees. “There is legislation being proposed that will govern these Bitcoin ATMs and protect people against fraud,” he says. He envisions prompts at kiosks asking users directly whether someone has told them to deposit funds. “If the answer is yes,” he says, “they should be told it’s probably a fraud.”
The same concept, he says, applies to gift cards. “Before you purchase them, you should know — are you doing this because someone asked you to buy a bunch of gift cards? It’s probably a fraud.”
But ultimately, Weiser argues that education must go hand in hand with reform. “This is our new reality,” he says. “It’s not going to change. It’s going to get harder. We need consumers to take this seriously.”
From pop-up alerts to emotional cons
In Ridgway, Mayor John Clark has been watching scams evolve for years. Known locally as the “Mac Doctor,” he’s often the first person friends or neighbors call when their computer starts behaving strangely — or when they’re not sure if what they’re seeing is real.
Clark says most of the scams he sees fall into two categories: phishing emails and frightening pop-up alerts.
“You get an email that looks like it’s from Apple or PayPal or McAfee,” Clark says. “It claims you just made a $400 purchase. If you think that’s an error, you’re told to call a number.”
Once you call, scammers try to capture your login credentials and other personal information. But it’s not just email — pop-ups have become increasingly common, and increasingly theatrical.
“All of a sudden it’ll lock your screen. There’ll be an alarm, a klaxon blaring,” Clark says. “‘You’ve been compromised. There’s a virus on your computer. Don’t turn it off, or you’ll damage it. Call this number.’”
He even had a client with a Mac receive a message saying their Windows computer had been compromised.
Clark has also seen scam operations that start with a simple wrong-number text. “They’ll go, ‘Hi, Louise, it’s Kelly. Want to get dinner tomorrow?’” If the recipient replies, the scammer starts building a relationship. Weeks later, a crisis arrives: a hospitalized parent, an overdue bill, a plea for $500.
His advice is blunt: if someone asks you to pay with a gift card, just stop. “That’s your first red flag,” he says. “Turn off your phone, turn off your computer — and call someone you trust.”
Digital payment, analog risks
Even for tech-savvy professionals, scams are getting harder to spot.
Jacob Torrey works in global cybersecurity and lives in Log Hill. While serving on the board of his local homeowners’ association, he got an email that looked like it came from the HOA treasurer. It asked him to Zelle $1,200 to a vendor — because the treasurer was out of town.
But something felt off.
Torrey checked the email address — and found it was a Gmail account with a different name, even though the sender’s display name was correct. He called the real treasurer to confirm.
“It was essentially, ‘Hey, we just hired this landscape company, here’s the invoice,’” Torrey recalls. “They were using someone else’s bank account that was probably already stolen.”
Because Torrey didn’t send any money, he technically didn’t have a fraud claim — and that made it impossible to get help from Zelle. “I could not find a customer contact number that would take my fraud request,” he says.
Unlike credit cards, Zelle, PayPal, Cash App, and Venmo offer little to no fraud protection. That’s a problem, Torrey says — especially as scammers become more efficient through the use of large language models, or LLMs.
“It becomes financially viable to scam a thousand people for $100,” he says, “rather than a few people for $10,000.”
Torrey believes regulation will be essential. But until then, banks and fintech companies — and consumers themselves — need to step up their vigilance.
“Anyone can be scammed”
At the Delta Area Chamber of Commerce, Executive Director Mariah Emond is seeing the problem from a different angle. She recently helped organize a community event called “How Not to Get Scammed,” featuring representatives from five local banks, a financial advisor, and the Delta Police Department.
It was standing room only.
“It really started when a few of our members said, ‘Hey, something’s going on,’” Emond says. “My neighbor got scammed. My small business got a fake invoice. We realized we had to start the conversation.”
The most common local scam? A text or email pretending to be from your bank.
Other dangers include gas station card readers — which can be tampered with to steal data — and the use of debit cards, which offer fewer protections than credit cards. Emond advises people to always use a credit card when possible and to pause before acting on any urgent request.
“Scammers are good at what they do,” she says. “They’ve been trained. They pull on your heartstrings. They’ll say, ‘Help me save somebody,’ or offer an unbelievable investment opportunity. If it’s too good to be true, it is.”
She emphasizes that no one is immune — and that shame is one of the scammers’ most effective weapons. EYou’re not dumb if you fall for a scam. You’re human. The best thing you can do is talk about it. Shine a light on it. Because once you do, the scammers lose their power.
Don’t go it alone
So what should you do if you suspect you’ve been scammed?
“Call your banker immediately,” Emond says. “Every bank has a fraud department. They can shut down your card, block access, and help you protect what’s left.”
She also urges people to talk to their local police — especially if the fraud involves a local business or physical card reader. “You were probably not the only one,” she says. “Reporting helps catch the larger group.”
Even better, she says, is being proactive. Set up account alerts. Check your transactions regularly. Go into your bank and ask what safeguards are available. “Don’t wait 30 days to balance your checkbook,” she says. “Don’t wait to see if your money’s gone.”
Throughout the episode, that word — pause — keeps resurfacing.
Whether it’s an email, a phone call, or a text, the best advice may be the simplest: stop. Take a breath. Don’t act in panic. Call someone you trust.
Financial situations rarely require you to act within minutes or hours. There is always time to stop, hang up, and talk the situation over with someone you trust.
Red flags to watch for:
- A stranger reaches out to you first
- They create a sense of urgency or panic
- They ask you to move money using gift cards, Bitcoin, Zelle, Venmo, PayPal, or Cash App
- They discourage you from calling your bank or law enforcement
What to do:
- Don’t click the link
- Hang up
- Don’t respond right away
- Call your bank directly or someone you trust to talk the situation over.
- Report it to local law enforcement and stopfraudcolorado.gov
