DOJ Office of Consumer Protection Prevented Montanans from Losing $1.3 Million in 2021

HELENA – Attorney General Austin Knudsen is encouraging Montanans to be aware of scammers trying to take advantage of them as the Department of Justice’s Office of Consumer Protection (OCP) fielded 945 scam complaints and successfully saved Montanans from losing more than $1.3 million in 2021.

In 2021, OCP recovered $869,600 for Montanans who were victimized by scammers and prevented consumers who called inquiring about whether they were being scammed from losing $465,579. Additionally, a total potential loss of $1,034,850 was reported to OCP by Montanans who knew they were being targeted by a scammer but did not pay them.

“The Department of Justice is committed to cracking down on anyone trying to take advantage of Montanans, and our Office of Consumer Protection is here to help people avoid scams and attempt to recover money lost,” Attorney General Knudsen said. “Anyone can become a victim of a scam, but information is Montanans’ best defense. Learn how to spot a scam. And if you suspect you may be the victim of a scammer, contact our office immediately.”

Montanans should keep these tips in mind to protect themselves from scammers:

• Don’t give out personal information to someone soliciting it from you over the phone or the internet. Banks will never and government agencies will never call and ask for your personal information.
• Never wire or give money to someone you don’t know. Don’t send gift cards, prepaid debit cards, or cryptocurrency to someone you do not know. Even if you think it’s someone you now, follow up to make sure before you wire any money.
• Use common sense and do your due diligence: ask around, talk to others, call OCP if you have any doubts or questions.
• Be skeptical, resist high pressure tactics, take your time. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

Attorney General Knudsen has been working with other attorneys general from around the country to get the federal government to take action to stop robocalls, the source of many scams. In August, they urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to move up their deadline for all telephone companies to implement STIR/SHAKEN technology, which helps prevent spoofed calls.

Following that, they asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to require gateway providers to make it more difficult for robocalls to enter the U.S. telephone network and block any gateway provider that does not meet the specific requirements.

In March 2021, the Montana Department of Justice, along with the Federal Trade Commission and dozens of agencies from around the nation, announced they had stopped a massive telefunding operation that bombarded 67 million consumers with 1.3 billion deceptive charitable fundraising calls (mostly illegal robocalls).

Montanans can report any phone, email, or mail scams to the Montana Department of Justice’s Office of Consumer Protection at [email protected], or 406-444-4500 (toll-free: 800-481-6896), or online at dojmt.gov/consumer.