Surely, we can agree that scammers are among the lowest of the low. 

It’s bad enough that they steal people’s hard-earned money. But they typically prey on the elderly and those who are intellectually disabled. It doesn’t get much lower than that. 

And they have been very successful in duping people this year.

Newstalk 1290 logo
Get our free mobile app

In July, Fox 7 Austin reported that Texans had been scammed out of $4.3 million from January to May. That comes out to almost $1 million per month. Wow. 

Here’s the thing – over those five months, scammers managed to steal more from their victims than in each year from 2018 to 2022. So, it’s important to get the word out about this growing epidemic. 

When it comes to scam phone calls, my phone will typically display “Scam Likely” on the caller ID. But I’ve received two calls in the past few weeks that looked local and legit and turned out to be scammers posing as a law firm attempting to get my personal information about court cases that didn’t exist. 

Fortunately, I was able to identify the red flags and didn't fall for either scam. I knew better than to give my personal information to someone who called me unexpectedly (it also helps that I knew that I had no pending court cases). 

My experience is that scammers like to use area codes that are close to home. For me, that’s North Texas. 

And the Dallas area code 469 is among the 19 most common area codes used for scams, according to GoBankingRates. 

For more tips on how to avoid falling victim to scams, visit the Better Business Bureau’s Scams HQ.

Up to $7,500 Reward Offered for Information Leading to an Arrest of These 46 Texas Fugitives

The Texas Department of Public Safety is looking for 46 possibly armed and dangerous fugitives in December. Three of those fugitives have warrants in East Texas. 

Gallery Credit: Texas Department of Public Safety

Worst Places to Live in Texas for 2023

A lot of folks are moving to Texas, well here is where you DON'T want to move to. All statistics taken from Road Snacks.

Gallery Credit: Stryker

The Five Texas Towns That Rank As 'Most Miserable' Places to Live

Business Insider did an analysis of the "Most Miserable" towns in America based on census data. 5 of those 50 towns were here in Texas

Gallery Credit: various

More From Newstalk 1290