In fact, the number and variety of scams has increased since the advent of the Covid epidemic, according to Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn, which is why his office has launched an online scam complaint form on the DA's website.
"What we saw during Covid was an increase in scam cases," said Flynn.
Among the most enduring of these, he said, are so-called remote romance scams that often are perpetrated online by unscrupulous entities against vulnerable people.
"They were starting up online relationships with people who were lonely, sitting at home during Covid and then, after a few months of establishing a (remote) relationship they would say, 'hey, I want to come meet with you, (but) I need $1,000 for an airline ticket.' So the person sends him $1,000 and they're gone. So you saw stuff like that happen over Covid and the numbers haven't gone down," Flynn added.
Now, as part of an ongoing effort to protect county residents from such crimes, citizens can report information about scams or suspected fraud directly to the District Attorney's Office, whose Special Investigations and Prosecutions Bureau is responsible for probing and prosecuting cases involving fraud, identity theft and other financial crimes.
"That way, if people aren't sure where to go, they can come right to me and then I can get their information and I can bring in the sheriff or the Buffalo Police Department or the Secret Service, whoever, federal, state, or local, in order to investigate it. That's the reason why I set this up," said Flynn.
Earlier this week, he said, the Sheriff's Office issued a public warning about scam phone calls where the caller claims to be a member of the Sheriff's Office and requests information regarding an "urgent civil matter." Other scams perpetrated on county residents have included people who falsely claimed to be an IRS agent seeking payment for alleged taxes owed, a utility provider threatening to shut off service, and an online retailer requesting banking or credit card information for an unauthorized purchase.
The victims of such frauds also run the gamut. Even the district attorney, himself, is not immune. Two months ago, Flynn said, he uncovered unauthorized charges to his credit card.
"What's funny is the person who got my credit card number somehow, they really didn't go to town. They bought some shoes for like $20. It was like small amounts, $20, $30," Flynn said.
He acknowledged that there is not much his office can do if the perpetrator is outside the United States.
"If they're in the States and we're able to find them, you know, we're able to get a good IP address on their computer ... or if they're dumb enough to leave a trace of their own bank account, or if someone sends a check and they go into a bank and cash a check, if they're in the States, then we can get the feds involved, " Flynn said.
" Secret Service is our main go-to, because they have really good ways to track people down with their IP addresses and with their financial and banking records ... So, if it's overseas or out-of-state, we bring in the Secret Service," he added.
Otherwise, said Flynn, vigilance, education and being aware are the keys to avoid being scammed.
"There are so many entities that we give our credit card numbers to and our bank information out there, if they get hacked, we're screwed," said Flynn. "So we just have to be vigilant and keep on top of our bills and if we see something suspicious on there, report it to our credit or banking agency right away and have it taken care of."
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