DAYTON — News Center 7’s I-Team Consumer Alert is warning about imposter scams.
The Federal Trade Commission said people lost more than $3 billion to these scams.
News Center 7’s Xavier Hershovitz investigated thieves saying they are with police, businesses, and even government agencies. He found out the FTC is looking to put pressure on different tech platforms.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
TRENDING STORIES:
- Portion of I-70 washed away by Wayne County flooding; Westbound lanes closed
- Man changes plea in high-speed crash that killed pregnant teen in Darke Co.
Earlier this year, Jamie Cox received a call from someone claiming to be a Dayton police officer.
She said the person on the call said, “We have a warrant out for your arrest. Don’t talk to anybody. Don’t tell anybody what you’re on the phone for.” She lost $13,000 in the scam.
And these impersonation scams are a growing problem.
Chris Mufarrige, who is the Director of Consumer Protection with the FTC, said, “If not the biggest fraud problem, it’s one of the biggest.”
Last year alone, people lost $3.5 billion to imposter scams. And, it’s not just phone calls anymore, but these schemes are turning to social media.
“We cannot have an online economy where it is this easy to impersonate somebody. It just undermines our markets,” Mufarrige said.
Last month, the I-Team showed you how someone created a fake account for an auto shop in Harrison Township. News Center 7 also showed you how someone posed at an Oakwood bakery trying to steal customers’ personal information.
Someone even posed as K99.1 FM host Nancy Wilson.
“It really makes me angry because there are so many people out there who are vulnerable,” Wilson said.
And with so much of this happening on social media.
“We believe that you know that the tech platforms have a role to play here in terms of solving the problem. We just don’t think that they’re doing enough,” Mufarrige said. “This is an area of concern for us; we’re focused on trying to solve this problem.”
The FTC encourages people to report any scams they come across to report fraud at ftc.gov.
[SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2026 Cox Media Group
