AUDIO TRANSCRIPT: Charity and Holiday Scams

Good afternoon, everyone. I hope that everyone is doing well. Happy November to you, and I think it's safe to say, as we tore off the page in October, the holidays are here. We've got quite a treat for you all today. Speaking of the holidays, scams are not immune during this time of year. We are delighted to have two area experts with us to address the charity scams that go on, as well as some holiday scams that I have to say, really surprised me. That take place throughout our nation. I want to introduce our two guest speakers today that is Sloan Champney. She is the public relations and communications specialist with the Better Business Bureau of the Western region here in Virginia located in Roanoke. We have also with us today, special agent Susan Armstrong. She is with the Bureau of Criminal Investigations with the Virginia State Police. She is located in their field office in Salem, Virginia. So Sloan, Susan, welcome welcome, we are delighted to have you and learn about the various things you have to tell us about the nature of the scams that happened this time of year.

>> Thank you so much for having us.

>> Thank you.

>> Tell me, what is the, how prevalent are the charitable scams? We get a lot in our male, we will start getting a lot in our mail from non-profits and organizations that this time of year, is very helpful for us to give funds, to help them carry out their missions. What's happening with the scams that affect charities?

>> Yeah, So these charities scams, especially right now, because we're getting ready to head to the holidays, and they also tend to happen after a natural disaster or tragic event. These scams usually appeal to your emotions, whether it's providing relief to devastated communities or helping children overseas suffering and poverty. Some of the -- phone to call you. Other may use the web or social media feeds. To avoid -- you want to check out the charity like you would any other donation, ask questions into your research. You can also check with -- At give.org and do not feel intimidated to give. Do your research to give your hard earned money is going to a good place.

>> So people use intimidation at this time of the year to get you to make a donation. So that should be a red flag number one. If somebody is pushing, just back off. No justified non-profit is going to be pushy for you to make a gift.

>> Yeah, at most of them are going to give you all of the information that you need if you ask for it's the first time.

>> And you mentioned, folks can go right to the Better Business Bureau to check out the legitimacy of each charitable organization. So if I get 20 envelopes in my mailbox next week from all the organizations, we are not saying that the ones that you typically have given to in the past, something's wrong. There there, they've got you on there mail list, and they are hoping to hear from you this holiday season. But there are some that are going to filter in to your mailbox, hoping you will just write a check or make a credit card payment to them.

>> Yes. So you want to do your due diligence as you are getting all of these informations. You want to make sure you don't rush into any donations. I know that we're all very busy and we are trying to get everything done before the holidays, but don't skip see Lake work to make sure you're not feel disappointment for donating to the wrong place.

>> Susan, what are you seeing with the Virginia State Police with charitable scams?

>> So, I would just piggyback on what Sloan said, where they will try to intimidate people and they will try to scare them into giving money. That is a huge red flag. If you are looking to donate it to a charity, you want to make sure that you do your research and make sure that you find out that it is a legitimate charity before you donate and to send that money. Wonderful. So, an ounce of prevention is really worse the pound of cure these days.

>> Absolutely.

>> Awesome. What other, you mentioned the Better Business Bureau is one repository to have the informational charity. What are some other ones that folks can go to to look up? I know there are 501C3 designated charities through the IRS tax code, but there are some organizations like churches, schools, some government that may be equivalent to the 501C3. Do they show up on the websites, or do people really need to call the organization, look them up online, call them to see if they are reaching out for funding?

>> Yes, I would recommend doing that and making sure that they find a phone number for the organization that's legitimate and call that number instead of the one that the person on the other end is using.

>> Good point, because a lot of times in the scammers letter, they're going to want to make it really easy for you to pick up the phone or go on their website, make a quick transaction, and you're done.

>> That's right.

>> So take time, look it up, don't just call from the letter or the email that you receive, but look the place up online and then call that number to then verify if they are seeking donations.

>> Yes, absolutely.

>> Great., I think it goes without saying that we all are busy. I know that as the end of the year is here, folks are traveling. If they're not traveling, they are going to see families. There's the dinner, the entertaining factor and all. It's so easy these days with the busy-ness of their world to get sidetracked. And for folks to get that ultimate advantage to take a lead over us.

>> Yeah, I just recommend, it's one of those things where you really need to take time out of your day and to slow down and to let it be a moment on its own so that you're not feeling rushed to make the decision to donate.

>> Okay. And you've mentioned, Sloan, a very important piece, as you were talking about the charitable organizations overseas.

>> Yes.

>> Are you all finding, you and Susan finding anything happening with the war in Ukraine and in Israel. Is there anything on your radar of organizations trying to secure funds overseas for those two?

>> For what's going on overseas, at the moment, we're not seeing anything to heightened in our area -- not necessarily the same for across the country but some organizations may be using it as a means to fund raise and earn money. But right here itself was Virginia, no, we're not seeing that.

>> Wonderful, wonderful. I think it goes to say that an organization it really, it takes time. It probably going to see like I really don't have time to go research, but it can ultimately save you from parting with your hard earned money, where are the cause is never there to begin with and there's really no reach of the identified population. It's somebody wanting to -- so when preying on your kind heart and your generosity at this time of the year. To take that and run with it. Okay, great. We talked about, a lot about the charitable causes. We talk about the holidays. Tell us, what is getting ready to unfold? What are scammers thinking about this time of year?

>> I'm actually going to share my screen and show you our 12th grams of Christmas here at the BBB. We have a lot of going on right now, and the first one we're going to talk about today is the -- can you see the screen?

>> Yes.

>> Wonderful. The first one we're going to talk about today is E card scams. Now, these are popular alternatives to physical Christmas cards, especially after the COVID pandemic. But scammers are also using them as a way to retrieve your private information. If the sender's name is unclear on the email, or if the email is asking you to share personal information or pay money to even open the econ, it may be a scam. If your email has an attachment that ends in dot EXE, it could also contain a virus or some form of malware. And once that is on your computer, criminals can use it to steal your information, send you inappropriate adds, demanded payment to retrieve your data and make your computer even more vulnerable to malware.

>> Okay, So if, just because you get an email, folks can trick the system to get it into your inbox.

>> Yes.

>> It's very easy for the junk to get into your Google account or whatever email account that you have set up. So this can filter its way in.

>> Yes, it's one of those things that you, again, need to take your time and make sure that you're not doing anything rash or right off the bat. You want to make sure that you vet every e-mail that comes through.

>> And this has become popular. I think a lot of folks are sending E cards to reach their friends that they have a lot of friends, and sending the physical card is expensive. It's very time-consuming, but they can go into their email of those they correspond with regularly and send out a holiday card. So just be careful with that one.

>> A lot of these that we're going to talk about today are actually, because of similar things, we're also busy, we're trying to rush. We do Schwann to give you that moment of making sure that the text message that you're not clicking is a scam, or the emails that you're getting is a scam. So it might sound a bit repetitive, but we're going to make sure you have all the information. The next one we're going to talk about is relatives are also known as emergency scams. They can also be called grandparents scams. This is when someone calls pretending to be a loved one in need. They will often bag for help and your money, and thanks to social media, these scammers can look up information and offer real, plausible stories. They may even incorporate nicknames are real facts and to travel plans to convince your target. Now, these scammers are often very persuasive and can overcome any objections that you may have. They often request you to not tell their parents, especially if they are impersonating your grandchildren, and they will then instruct you to wire transfer money, pay with a credit or gift card, or give them money to a -- which is scary, because then they have your address. No matter how dramatic your story is, the BBB recommends resisting the urge to act immediately and do your own research into who's calling. That may include hanging up in calling the loved one from your personal cell phone.

>> Okay, so it's pretty easy if a grandparent has this call come in, for this e-mail, that something has happened. I mean, I think our natural instinct is oh my gosh, number one, and number two, I've got to do something about it. If they're in jail or they've had a serious accident. But that is wonderful, by Sloan, to resist the temptation to act, calls that grandson or granddaughter or relative, are you okay. And then you are going to hear, yes or IM in the hospital. So you're going to be able to refute it pretty quickly just by going to another source of information and did not relying on what's been put in front of you. So we've heard a lot about the grandparent to scams, and they just continue to proliferate.

>> Yes. So the next one we're going to talk about is fake shipping notifications. This is going to be a really big one as you start purchasing things for your holiday. With more consumers making purchases online, there's also an increase in the number of notifications that -- about shipping details from retails and carriers. Scammers are using this new search to send phishing e-mails. Those are e-mails with links enclosed that may allow unwanted access to your private information or to download malware on to your device. Now, they may also try and trick you into paying shipping fees. We recommend that you think before you click, as be especially cautious about email and online ads on social media, and to shop with a credit card for extra protection.

>> This is so easy. I just had the US PS1 hit me last week. Of a package shipping, and there was a problem with it, and I needed to click on this to learn more details, which I avoided the temptation because I wasn't expecting a package, number one. But this time of the year, most everybody in the room today is expecting something to be mailed out or brought into the home.

>> And I'll add, the United States partial Parcel Service does have informed delivery that people can sign up for. What that does is it scans your mail, and then every day you'll get an e-mail that will show pictures of the items of males that are coming. It's not sent to you as links that you need to click on. You can actually visually see that in the email itself, and you can also do an account with UPS and with FedEx. And with all of those different shipping accounts, that gives you the ability to go online on their website and view your account on your own without having to worry about clicking on links that are coming into this email.

>> That's wonderful to hear. So, just a couple of extra steps with the source and you are going to know, honestly, what is being sent out, what is being delivered to your home, and not having to worry about that random email to just pop up out of the blue.

>> Absolutely. So another one we're going to talk about is the temporary jobs. Now, retailers will typically hire seasonal workers to help me demands a holiday shoppers. -- and delivery services are the top holiday employers this year because of the increase in online orders and they need to get most of these packages delivered out by Christmas. These jobs are a great way for some older Americans to make extra money, sometimes with the possibility of it turning into long-term employment opportunity. However, job seekers need to be aware of of a job scams that are out there, aimed at stealing money and personal information from these job applicants. So, we want to recommend that you keep an eye out on these opportunities that seem too good to be true.

>> That one just blew my mind to say the temporary jobs. But, you're right, You're exactly right. A lot of older Americans and, I think these since the pandemic, work at home, people are really attracted to that and thinking, oh my goodness, this is a great way to earn extra money, but nothing is really free in this world. When you get to something like that on your computer or over your smartphone, beware beware.

>> One of the biggest things that we see is reshaping scams, where they will give you the information -- they will ask you, they will send you packages and they will ask you to reach ship them to an address at whatever -- you have to make sure that you open it up and the information is in there and, then you re ship it out. They're never going to pay you for that, so you start doing all of this work and then you end up at the end of the month not getting any of the money.

>> And it sounds like, buy that, your fingers are on the footprint of the crime because you are an intermediary helping to commit the crime in a way. Because you are reshaping as a goods and the criminal suddenly is off the hook, there in the back of the room, and you are the one that's --

>> Yes.

>> And another one of the temporary jobs that I've seen is where they will send you a check, and they will say keep $200 or keep 10% and then take that money and send it somewhere else. And they will have you convinced that you are working for a business or working from some type of purpose, but at the end of the day, it's a scam. The check that's coming to you as most likely somebody else that's been scammed, and the person that you are sending it to is going to be another individual that's been a scammed. So, that's a huge red flag, That's not a legit jobs that you are doing, same with the shipping. They may do the same thing with the shipping jobs as well, where they will tell you to keep a certain amount of money, and then send everything on.

>> How does the State Police look at that, Susan? I mean, if somebody falls into that unfortunate situation, I guess, tell us, or they counted very much like a criminal with what they're doing with carrying out the crime or continuing it on?

>> That's really going to be case specific. There's not a one-size-fits-all answer, but we absolutely do have to consider is this individual part of the crime that's occurred?

>> So it's safe, just steer clear of those type of things, don't cash a check, don't try to be shipping out goods are getting things to your home, which is dangerous as well, sending goods to your home. Because as you mentioned earlier, they've got the address.

>> Correct.

>> If they can't get you to comply in one fashion, they can pull a span on the address to do something like you to really scare you.

>> Yes, What some scammers will do is they will use the address and they will plug it into the internet. They will get a picture of what someone's house look like, and they will use that to threaten them and we'll say I'm outside your house, I see that you have a Redd front door. And they are really looking at a picture from the Internet, but they are taking that information and using that in a way to threaten people and tried to get them to send money and be a part of the scam.

>> And that really hits home, when you get that kind of email thinking, Dear Lord, is somebody out in the street looking at my home, not necessarily realizing, this could be oversees, this could be states away. But it's like a Google Earth in a sense that you can fly over, zoom down, and get a decent description trypsin of where the person lives.

>> Yes, absolutely. The next one we're going to talk about is another one of the social media gift exchanges. Each holiday season, this game pops back up and this year is no different. They can wildly vary. One version of these scam evolves around exchanging bottles of wine, and other suggests purchasing $10 gifts online. Another asks you to submit your E transfer email into a list which -- picket aim and send money to strangers to pay it forward. In all versions, participants unwittingly share their personal information, along with those of their friends and family members. They are further tricked into buying and shipping gifts with money to unknown individuals and we recommend that you keep an eye out for doing these scams and for people that you do not know, especially on social media signs. We're also going to talk about free gift cards. Nothing brings good cheer like the word free and scammers have been known to take advantage of this weakness by sending bulk phishing emails. They request you share personal information to receive free gift cards, than they may also use pop-up ads or tamper with the physical gift cards being sold in stores. We do have a few tips, you want to make sure that you check physical gift cards to see if the pin number on the back has been exposed. If you are purchasing online, make sure to only purchase gift cards from reputable websites. If you have received a phishing email with gift card offers, do not open it. We recommend that -- mark it as spam or junk. However, if you did open the email, do not click on any of the links. And we do say that do not share any personal information to receive a gift card or -- and tried to use an ad blocker on your device from pop-up ads. Next, we're going to talk about CentOs -- several trusted companies offering -- from Santa, but scammers are making mimicking them to get your personal information from unsuspecting parents or grandparents. It's just another one of those cute ideas that you can think of the holiday season to get a personalized letter from Santa, how do we do have a couple of safety tips to keep you safe against these scam companies. We recommend that you check bbb.org to find out which companies are legitimate, and to be wary of unsolicited e-mails offering detail deals on letters from Santa.

>> My goodness, that's really hard to hear. Really attacking your heartstrings to want to do something nice, but it's all created wrong and false.

>> And there's something simple. Like you wouldn't think scammers are using Santa Claus to try and steal your information. So, it's just another one of those things do have a healthy amount of skepticism about.

>> And I'm thinking, being on your Christmas tree here, they are pretty prevalent, and they work really well, That's why they're on the Christmas tree. They are a big deal scams that are happening.

>> Yeah, and you might actually never get the letter either. Another one we're going to talk about is bogus websites. Now, the holiday season brings endless emails offering DTLs, sales and bargains, especially as we're getting closer to Friday. Cyber Monday and Small Business Saturday. We want you to be wary as emails you receive, as well as the links that are enclosed. Some may lead you to look like websites that are created by scammers to trick people into downloading malware, making debt and purchases, for sharing private information. They can look really convincing. They can almost mimic the website completely. If you are uncertain about the email, do not click any of the links, and instead go to the website directly. Travel scams or another big one that we see, especially around the holidays. A lot of flight companies and travel companies go ahead and they list their holiday deals. They can make a major dent into your coin purse. Big bills can make the ugliest sales be very attractive, however, pay attention to the offers being advertised, as so maybe scams, instead of opportunities to save. We have some tips that include being wary of email offers, about travel discounts, especially those coming from unknown senders. Only do business was legitimate travel websites, never transfer a while money to someone you do not know, and always ask for references, shop around, and reproduce before you should finalize a transaction. We already talked a little bit about the fake charities, you want to make sure that you are doing all your due diligence and going through and making sure that they are who they say they are. Another one we see this time of year, especially for the holidays, is PET scams. Many families, especially those with children, may be considering uttering a for referring to their house this year. However, you could fall victim to pet scams, which are on the rise. So we want to recommend you be careful when searching online, because PET and pet supplies for the riskiest scam category in the 2020 BBB scam truck risk report. Almost 35% of online purchase scan reports were pet related, with 70% of people losing money. Most people lost an average of $750 to kind of scam. And the French bulldog was the top breed used to perpetrate these scams.

>> Wow. Wow. Susan, are we seeing this happening in the State of Virginia here?

>> Yes, it actually happened to a friend of mine.

>> Oh my goodness, tell us about that. What happened?

>> So, they were looking for a certain breed of dog, which may have actually been a French bulldog, and had communicated with somebody online but they thought was a breeder. The individual gave them information where to send money, and also gave them an address. So while they were in route to the address, they ended up sending, I want to say half of the payment of the full payment for the dog. Then, they got to the address that was given, and it was not a breeder, it was not a person that had been communicating with. It was somebody that was located in a different state.

>> Wow.

>> So, yes. Fortunately, in that case, the individual was identified and criminal charges were placed. That's not the case in every situation, it just depends.

>> So this is really kind of a one unique opportunity if you want a pet, get it now before it's gone?

>> Yes.

>> You want to get it, but you give out half a deposit, you said, and I guess that's gone once you've sent it out.

>> And they are pulling on your heartstrings, because you see the picture of the puppy, your family gets excited about it, you are excited about it, and you don't want anyone else to get that puppy. So you leave the deposit in good faith that nobody else will get the dog, and then, unfortunately, with the scams, it turns out that it's not a breeder and there's no puppies.

>> And I'm sure a dog using a French bulldog, They're not a cheap dog to go after. So I'm sure they get quite a bit of money on that deposit to try to secure this to get it home for the holidays as well. That is absolutely amazing. It's very much like, and I know you've got one more to go over, Sloan. It's almost like it does take what you want to do something right and something good, Somebody's waiting there to kind of mess that feeling up. It's terrible.

>> Yes.

>> These scammers suspended more than a 40 hours with what they are doing, so they are experts in it, and they are very good at it.

>> Correct me if I'm wrong, most of that money you can't be back.

>> Correct, yes.

>> So once it's gone, you can't get it back.

>> That's right, Yes. So the last one before we actually talked about the biggest scam of the season, is compromised accounts. The BBB has been receiving reports on scam tracker, which is our scam trucking website about a conic claiming that your Amazon, PayPal, Netflix or bank account has been compromised. Now, victims can receive an email, a call, or text message, which explains that there has been suspicious activity on one of their accounts, and that it further urges them to take take immediate actions to prevent that account for being compromised. We want to warn you to be extra cautious with these unsolicited calls, emails and texts, and do your own research, double-check to make sure the account is actually compromised. If you go to the account personally, you should be able to see, there would be a banner at the top that says it's compromised, rather than clicking any suspicious links are sent to you. Then finally, the biggest scam of the season is online at purchase scams. Is more important than ever to be consumer savvy in this time period, especially ahead of the holidays. The rest to online shopper rises around the end of the year, with more people making online purchases and scammers paying close attention to the most sought after it items. These scam can work in several different ways. If you're trying to buy something, you will not be getting what you paid for, or the listing may be selling anything from a puppy, like we talked about, to a used car. The seller may also ask you to complete a purchase of a big ticket item without seeing the item and person, and the details will look very retail real bill, but the low prices may seem too good to be true because they usually are.

>> And this is one of those things that,, we see a lot of happening, whether it's like Facebook marketplace, you know, some of those online repositories, or trading, selling things. But, you know, Susan, tell us, when you are online, and you are looking to make a purchase, what are some things that should be a green light, that it's okay to conduct this transaction? What are the other things that should be a red light, don't go any further.

>> So, first, I would recommend that you go to the website for retailers layers that you know, don't click on the links that are in your email. Actually type it in yourself into the URL, type it out. Also, look for the HTTPS for the security, and use your credit card when shopping online, also, to have extra protection.

>> Okay. At I think that's a very important one that Sloan just put the slide up there. Check the URL and to make sure that padlock is locked. If it's not secure, It's going to say that on the browser bar. That's pretty much just runaway, don't go any further. Grabber, tell us about watching for bad grammar.

>> Go ahead.

>> So, what are the biggest things that we see with phishing emails, it's one of the biggest red flags, is that you can see that it just doesn't look right. There's little tiny spelling mistakes, or it's missing commas, or it's a really long run-on sentence. It just doesn't feel right. And so, that's one of the first things that can send your red flag up, it's looking for bad grammar.

>> Okay.

>> How do you all feel that artificial intelligence is going to change? That in the not-too-distant future, I would say, or in the future.

>> It's huge. It is a huge topic right now. So, yes, and to so many different levels, it can apply towards the scammers and making them smarter with what they're doing, but it can also apply on the prevention side as well. And I know Virginia Tech has got a lot of focus on artificial intelligence right now, which I'm very excited to follow what they're doing with that.

>> Yes, and for those of you on our Zoom program today, we are going to be taking a dive into AI here in March of 24. So, it's ever developing, but grammar, I hear what you were saying, Sloan. When it just doesn't feel right, a gut feeling, something is wrong with that email. I mean, large companies, they have pretty exclusive marketing departments that double-check and triple check five and six times check before that message goes out, because your reputation is on the line. If something gets out misspelled, it doesn't look good.

>> It's the same thing with looking for a certain acetals and icons on an e-mail. They can mimic those really well, but sometimes it's not perfect. It's just another warning, a red flag to go up.

>> And anytime someone asked me for payments and virtual currency, or a gift card, a green dot card, that should be a red flag.

>> And we hear a lot about the gift card. I know, Sloan, you mentioned free gift cards, but we hear a lot with that as being used as a source of payment. And it's really not. Nobody really wants a gift card as a source of transaction of cash.

>> It's an untraceable payment for the scammer. So, they're going to ask for that so they can't get caught.

>> Exactly, exactly.

>> I do have some of the top reasons for engaging with these cameras, the first one that most of our seniors, we did ask as the -- report trying to figure out why these seniors and other generations were falling victim to these scammers. Some of the top reasons included that they seemed official, that they were under pressure, they seemed nice, they didn't want to miss out, or they knew their personal info. It's not just threats at these cameras can come after you with, they can come after you as all these tactics. The more nice one was one that surprised me the most. Some people gave away their information because the person was talking to them.

>> And we see that a lot with social isolation. During the pandemic, when folks were really alone, they really didn't have the contact of peers -- a nice voice on the phone, or a nice email over the computer just did the job, didn't it?

>> I think we've reached the question portion.

>> Sure, I'm gonna go ahead. If folks at this point would like to say something, whether it's a question for our speakers, are just a basic statement, you are also welcome uh to put things into the chat box for us. We'll go ahead and open that up to take your questions at this point.

>> As you are thinking about that, we'll go ahead. Susan, I know you've got a very difficult job in the Bureau of Criminal investigations. And you know, back when we started the fraud series, for those that are just joining with us today, we addressed this a back in October, but we had some specific goals that we wanted folks to learn from their time with us over the course of six months. You know, increasing awareness, what these crimes are, how they get played out, what happens. We also talk about reporting. And,, it will happen at some point, it's so easy to fall victim to a scam or a crime. But we want to change that mindset at Virginia Tech with our programs. It's not to feel the victim, but to feel empowered. There are resources out there to help you. What is done, at a national level, Susan, with reporting to let our government officials and all know what's taking place in our world these days?

>> So, the FBI has an Internet Crime Complaint Center, and it is just a database of information for the scams, at it helps them to track trends with it. And then they issue a report. So, they've issued the report for the 2022 database. Is the elder fraud report, and in their report, they had information, there are victims over 60 that reported 88,260 to complaints. As E total loss was $3.1 billion. That's just the ones that were reported. So, they take all of this information and they compile it into a report, which helps to give information about the common frauds so that we can look at that, we can use that to educate people, and know exactly what's out there and where these scammers are being successful.

>> It's so easy to have something like this happened to you and just feel like I don't want to tell anybody. I'm embarrassed that I lost $1,000 on that French bulldog deal. I'm embarrassed that, I really wanted to get that job, and I clicked on that link, and it got my personal information. But reporting does matter, because it can, in a sense, if we have an area in Virginia or in the United States, it can really put resources on the ground to help go after those cranium Ono's, cabinet?

>> Yes, absolutely. And I would definitely say, victims are not alone. They might be embarrassed by what's happened, but there's a good chance it's happening to other people as well. So, there is strength in numbers, and certainly, it's important to do that report so that it is out there, that somebody has scammed them. What we really see with the romance scams, people are very embarrassed to report that to law enforcement, there embarrassed that their family is when to find out. They think that they've done something wrong, edited so important for them to come forward with that information.

>> Yeah, and Sloan is going to be coming back in February to address the topic of dating and romance scams with this. You've got a very interesting statistic, it blew my mind, Susan,. When we were talking very early on about this very program for the State of Virginia. We rank pretty high, don't we?

>> We do, yes. Virginia does rank pretty high on the list, unfortunately.

>> And, you know, I think reporting, there was a comment that just came in about tell your friends, tell your family. I think it's important for,, our guests today to knows that many times, a scammer may do a lot of work and grooming, and I don't mean at combing your hair and putting on makeup and all. Grooming is a different term to try to classify you or determine how good you are at the scam going down. Keeping the conversation away from family or children, you know, this is just between us. You don't need to let anybody else know, certainly through those conversations, finding out to someone live alone, has their spouse or partner recently died, and they are by themselves. Do children live nearby, do they even have children? Or if they do have children, are they living a good distance out of the area out of states. So, criminals really do work quite hard to try to determine if you are, and I'll say it, ripe for the picking. That they can get away with this crime, and tome, at the same time, have convinced you, don't go tell anybody. Keep this secret, what we are working on. And it does make it so hard for that person to really feel very bad, very low self-esteem. But that's the goal of our program here at Virginia Tech, It's to empower people. There's help out there, folks want to help you. You may not get your money back, but it may help make a difference of make the work harder for thieves.

>> Go ahead.

>> I've even had individuals or these scammer told them exactly what to say when law enforcement showed up at their house, anticipating that that was going to happen. And also what's you tell the bank when they went to the bank to do transactions.

>> Share a little bit more on that, Susan. What are they telling people. What kind of script are they giving folks?

>> So, it's just basically that it's not a scam, that they are real person. We see that especially with the romance scams, where they will just say, You know, it's a good thing if people are going to try to stop it, speaking about the romance.

>> Okay. And you mentioned going to the bank. That's the repository where the money is held. In many instances, if you're not going -- trying to wire funds, they definitely want to keep the bank from a feeling suspicious.

>> Yes. We actually also found at the BBB that 41% of people learned about the scams, all of the scams, from word of mouth from their family or their friends, which is again, why we say the biggest difference that you can make his by reaching out and to talking to people about them. It's just easier to have a conversation about what you've experienced or what you did to avoid a scam, rather than just letting it simmer inside.

>> Somebody has put in the chat here, and thank you for sharing that. A lot of times, with scammers are using the excuse of -- repairs. You know, when folks are going to the bank to take out a sizable amount of cash because that could be very legitimate. If you're having a new roof put on your house, I mean it's 10,000 plus these days to do that. And that, thank you for sharing that in our chat room, because that is something that can certainly help get the money in their hands, and keep it under radar with your financial institution. Are there any other questions or anybody out there have a response? Have you learned something new today that you did not know happening in our nation, or happening. And we'll be coming about this time of the year? Well I'm going to turn it back to you. Share with us how people can continue one of our last goals in our -- series is continuing the community conversation. Taking what you've learned today, keep sharing, keep sharing, keep sharing. Because a new person every day will become a victim, potentially, of a scam. But every day, as well, we can fight that battle with being armed with the information that we need. And you've got some things to share on social media.

>> Yeah, So BBB puts out informational pieces every single day, and also some FUN stuff on our Facebook, Twitter and Mr. Graham at pages. We're going to make sure that you know what's going on the community, and also what's going on in the nation as a whole. The BBB -- Western Virginia has its own page, but your BBB, and wherever you are at, will have its own location. You could just go to bbb.org and it will live just on your, through your zip code, which BBB you're a part of and then you can follow them on Facebook. Or Twitter, or Instagram. We recommend doing it so you can get a better information on what's going on in your community.

>> Wonderful. We just had one of our guests to mentioned that she just deleted a group email because she did it knows a person on there.

>> Perfect.

>> That's wonderful, That's wonderful, We are doing our job today to just make everybody aware. If it doesn't seem right, just don't go any further with it, because you just never know, when you open Pandora's box, What's going to come out. And these are wonderful, I will tell you as well, we don't give testimonials. But in working with Sloan and Susan over the past several months, I really gotten involved with their social media pages. A lot of good information, and if you are on Facebook or Instagram and so forth, even your Twitter, It's a good way to hear what many times maybe the latest, Susan, in the State of Virginia. What's happening. And even joining with Sloan, I mean, they're not only giving the Western region here in Virginia, but Better Business Bureau is natural. You are hearing about things that could potentially, be on their way out the door. So, I really enjoy in my feed every day, catching up with friends and family, catching up with these two, because there's a lot that they're sharing out there, and it's quite timely. It takes just a second to digest the message, but you keep it with you, you remember what you saw. Well, we are just about to finish up. I think we're going to finish up class just a little early today. But I've really enjoyed all of you from throughout the US coming with us today. I know there's a lot of folks that joined us it October, a lot of folks calls in and said, You know, Shannon, we want to do the rest of the programs in the series. I think everybody really went in and signed up all the way through April to stay engaged with us and continue learning. As we finish up today, we are going to be sending out a thank you email. Susan and Sloan had been absolutely wonderful to work with here at Virginia Tech. They have not only just prepared a magnificent presentation, and a very timely one that we are on. But they want to share a lot of good resources. Some links with the IRS, the Better Business Bureau. I think they have the slide deck. So, we are going to make that available to you. We will have the program, it's being recorded. So we will have the program to upload, continue to watch it, share it with friends. Our caption ists are in the room today, so for those that will need that or a friend or a buddy that needs the written transcript, we will have that to upload and share your way. But I want to leave you with, as we get ready to start on our next program, to just give you a little reminder. We are going to be, Can everybody see that? There we go. We are going to take a little break, because it is the holidays and we know it's a busy time for everyone, but we're going to be coming back in the new year. Our next program is going to look into cyber crimes. A lot of the portals, be computer, a little bit deeper dive into the smartphone, some of these cybersecurity things that we all need to be mindful of, because we have, probably, the smallest computer in our hands, and that's our smartphone. So, we've got Don barnes, she's an extension agent with Virginia Tech based in a Floyd. She's in our Family and Consumer Services Division. She's an expert when it comes to cyber, she's been doing some wonderful work in the local community and Floyd, and knowing her, I was like, her message is spot on. She knows, she's really researched and she's gathered up some good data to share. So we're going to look about cyber crimes on January eighth, one to 2:00 P.M., again, Eastern Standard Time. Most of you are registered, but certainly share this with other alums and friends. You don't have to be an alum to participate in our program. Share the link, and your friends can learn along with you. And lastly, happy holidays from all of us here at Virginia Tech. The months, Susan and Sloan and I were talking earlier, it will pass very quickly. It is our hope that you have a joyous season, you get to spend plenty of time with family and friends and celebrate however you like. So, thank you also, so much for joining us. We are going to be sending out a survey. I encourage you to fill that out and complete it. It really helps us here what you learned about the program, what you liked. But also, one of the most important pieces is the future. If what you would like to hear of programs that we can offer you that meet your needs. So, you will get a survey link, probably in the next couple of days. Take time and fill that out, because it really guides what we will take on as our next projects and Cornerstone. But, I really want to thank you all and you have been an excellent audience today. Did everybody learn something new? I see a thumbs up, thumbs up. Good deal. Thank you all, and go Hokies -- have a very good holiday season.