Government agencies warn of scams circulating in the community, claiming to be them

Scammers continue to instill fear and confusion in area residents, who have coughed up millions of dollars to them this year.

The Federal Trade Commission reported Washington fraud victims lost $38.2 million in the first quarter of 2025. About $28.3 million was lost by people ages 40 to 79.

People 80 and over in the state by far had the highest median loss of $1,286. “Government imposters” is the most popular scam, according to the FTC.

Spokane County and Kootenai County sheriff’s offices, the Washington State Department of Transportation and the FBI are some of the agencies that have warned area residents this month about new scams and how to avoid falling victim.

The local sheriff’s offices reported several residents received a text message claiming to be from the DMV that says they must immediately pay for a traffic violation, or their driving privileges and vehicle registrations would be suspended and they would face other fees and prosecution.

“Scammers are becoming more sophisticated in how they target victims,” Kootenai County Sheriff Robert Norris said in a news release about the scam. “We urge residents to be cautious, especially when receiving messages that use fear or urgency to demand payment.”

Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador also issued a warning about the text scams targeting Idaho residents with fake DMV notices.

“Scammers stole over $63 million from Idahoans last year, predominantly targeting our seniors,” Labrador said in a release.

Citing last year’s FBI Internet Crime Report, Idaho residents filed more than 3,000 complaints, resulting in more than $63 million in losses from cyberenabled crimes and fraud, according to the Idaho Office of the Attorney General.

In Spokane, the City Council voted last week to ban cryptocurrency kiosks to protect the public from getting scammed. The kiosks at convenience stores and gas stations look like ATMs, but they allow people to trade or purchase virtual currency instead of dispensing physical money. The ordinance the council approved indicated kiosks are an instrument of financial fraud.

The FBI reported $5.6 billion lost from cryptocurrency kiosk-related scams across the country and $142 million lost in Washington state in 2023.

Spokane police said residents have fallen victim to the cryptocurrency kiosk scams.

Meanwhile, the FBI Salt Lake City field office warned of “romance scams.” The federal agency shared a story of a Montana woman who lost $90,000 over several months to someone posing as a celebrity in the love scam. The “celebrity” reached out to the woman on social media, and their interaction moved to an encrypted application, the FBI said. The “celebrity” eventually asked the woman for money through the cryptocurrency Bitcoin for events, like a meet and greet.

The Salt Lake City office reported that more than 7,600 people 60 or older lost about $389 million in romance scams in 2024. Fifty-eight of those victims were Idahoans, who lost over a combined $545,000.

What to do

The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office advised residents last month that law enforcement, courts and government offices will never contact you demanding immediate payment and make threats of arrest or other punishment.

Spokane County Sheriff’s Office Cpl. Mark Gregory, spokesman for the department, said people of all ages have been affected by scams. He said people can panic when threatened with arrest and be susceptible to getting scammed.

People facing a scam should contact the agency the scammer is claiming to represent, using the correct phone number, to find out if they owe money, Gregory said. Don’t use the contact information the scammer provides.

“Call and verify,” he said.

The sheriff’s office said scammers often ask for nontypical payment means, like Venmo, PayPal or cryptocurrency, which is also a sign of a scam.

The sheriff’s office news release was in response to a “summons” scam in which a resident lost $4,000, the sheriff’s office said. The summons the resident received included an inaccurate “Seal of the State of Washington” and said the resident was “summoned for federal grand jury selection” before a former Spokane County Superior Court judge. It said that failing to appear would result in “INEVITABLE CONSEQUENCES.”

“The victim is someone who has never been in any trouble, had dealings with any legal proceedings, and simply believed one of their worst fears was happening,” the sheriff’s office said. “The fear of arrest, large fees/fines, public humiliation, or disappointing their family and friends for committing a (fake) crime.”

The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office warned not to click on any links, respond to scam messages or provide personal or financial information. Anyone who thinks they may have fallen victim to a scam should monitor their bank account and credit and report fraud to local law enforcement.