National Consumer Protection Week Aims to Heighten Awareness of Emerging Scams
PORTLAND, Maine (WGME) – With scams evolving at a rapid pace, becoming increasingly sophisticated and more difficult to detect, the CBS13 I-Team is dedicating a week of coverage to help consumers safeguard their money and personal information.
National Consumer Protection Week serves as an annual reminder to understand your rights and take proactive steps to avoid fraudulent schemes and protect your identity. Beginning Monday, CBS13 I-Team will delve into the major threats consumers face this year.
Last year, Mainers suffered losses exceeding $20 million due to scams and identity theft. Experts suggest this figure is likely a significant underestimation, as many instances of fraud go unreported.
The rapid advancement of new technology is empowering criminals with increasingly sophisticated tools to target victims. From phishing attempts via text and email to AI-generated calls designed to impersonate trusted individuals, these threats are coming from nearly every direction.
“It’s all very well designed,” Jane Margesson of AARP Maine noted. “It’s very intricate. They’re so creative, and they’re absolutely relentless, but we need to be relentless, too.”
Starting Monday at 6 p.m., the I-Team will provide five days of coverage for Consumer Protection Week, exploring the latest scams to be aware of, the growing role of AI in fraudulent activities, and easy steps you can take to protect your identity, as well as the identity of your children, in the face of a record number of cyberattacks.
