Wasden urges business owners to guard against Attorney General email scam

(Boise) – Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden is warning business owners to be on the lookout for emails sent by scammers posing as representatives from his office.

The emails indicate they were sent by the Attorney General, are generically addressed to “Business Owner” and inform recipients a complaint has been filed against them, Wasden said. 

The messages also include a link that purports to take recipients to a document that can be used to respond to the complaint. But the link is actually a zip file that installs a computer virus used to obtain sensitive information to help perpetrate identity theft and fraud, Wasden said.

“This is no different than any other scam that uses the names of government or law enforcement agencies in an effort to dupe consumers,” Attorney General Wasden said. “Constituents and business owners need to know that my office will never send unsolicited emails about complaints.”

Wasden said a business owner from northern Idaho notified the Consumer Protection Division last week after receiving a sham email. Similar email scams incorporating Attorneys General have been reported in other states, including recently in Illinois and Maryland. 

Consumers are encouraged not to open these emails or click on any links. Wasden said consumers should delete the emails and contact his office to report the scam.

The Consumer Protection Division can be reached at 1-800-432-3545.

Orofino Police seek victims of Shake It Off Fitness scam

Orofino Police Department is asking anyone who was victimized by the Shake It Off Fitness scam over Orofino Lumberjack Days to file a police report with them, if you have not already done so. Please stop by their office at 217 E 1st Street (across from Hanson Garage), or call (208) 476-5551.

Shake It Off Fitness was present at the 2015 Orofino Lumberjack Days. The company offered for purchase the machine, described as a set of fitness plates that the company claimed would assist with a person’s health and fitness levels in various ways, such as increasing circulation, improving blood pressure, and massaging muscles, amongst other things, according to Officer Skye Ortiz with Orofino Police Department.

Victims were convinced to pre-pay $1,549 for the plates, which the company claimed they would ship to them, according to Officer Ortiz. Officer Ortiz described the scam as a pyramid scheme. So far, no one who ordered the machine has received one.

There are victims in Lewiston and Nezperce as well, according to Officer Ortiz, who also explained that, due to the number of people who have been affected by this scam, the FBI has been contacted.

Lewiston Police Department has reported that Shake It Off was present at the Nez Perce County Fair as well, conducting the same scam.

If you purchased from or gave any money to Shake It Off Fitness, please file a police report with Orofino Police Department (or the law enforcement agency in your town) as soon as possible.

DISH Network scam reported in Orofino

An Orofino resident this week contacted the Clearwater Tribune regarding a phone call from DISH Network that she believed to be a scam.

On Monday, out of the blue, an individual claiming to be a representative of DISH Network called her to say that her satellite receiver needed to be replaced. The caller said it would cost $100 to replace the receiver, but that they would give her $10 off her monthly bill, over a period of 10 months, to pay for the receiver.

The caller then asked for her debit card. By this time, she had given the phone to her son, who refused the caller’s request for a debit card.

The Clearwater Tribune is frequently contacted about all manner of telephone scams, from callers purporting to represent legitimate companies or government agencies. These scams usually target senior citizens.

If you receive a call and are at all uncertain about the legitimacy of the call, hang up. Use the internet, a phone book, or some other means to find a legitimate contact number for the business or agency the caller claimed to represent, and call and ask the business or agency whether they actually contacted you.

Victims of these scams always report that the caller was very convincing, but real companies and agencies do not call you out of the blue and request credit card or bank information.

In an interesting twist in this particular case, the Orofino resident said that the day before, this past Sunday, a man claiming to be with DISH Network came to her house and worked on her satellite dish. The resident reported that, while he was working on the dish, she did not notice a marked DISH Network vehicle parked anywhere within sight.

It is unknown whether or not the repairman was involved with the telephone scam, but she and her son reported him to the police.