Welcome to "The Mailbag," which is your opportunity to ask me about topics like our programs, other state government functions, or anything else that interests you.

After my recent Treasurer’s Note about computer scammers, several of you contacted me and shared your own experiences with some of the shameless people who operate scams. For example, one reader who said he “should know better” was deceived when he got a call from a scammer posing as a bank employee. The scammer said the victim’s bank account had been compromised, and he needed to take care of it quickly. The scammer got away with more than $10,000 of the victim’s money.

Another reader described how an older relative lost thousands of dollars to a scammer who called in the middle of the night, pretending to be the victim’s grandson. This type of scam often uses artificial intelligence voice-cloning — a technology that creates realistic-sounding voices of loved ones, as this article from Axios explains. 

I received many more stories like these. It’s clear this is a widespread problem, and people need more tools to protect their hard-earned dollars.

Here are a few more resources we have found that, hopefully, can help you recognize scammers:
 

• Fraud Fighting Fraudlettes Discuss Internet Fraud – from AARP Illinois
• 4 Ways to Stop AI Scams– from AARP
• Avoiding Scams and Scammers – from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
• On the Internet: Be Cautious When Connected – from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
• How to Avoid an Online Scam: 5 Ways to Protect Yourself – from the National Council on Aging (NCOA)