In an effort to bring more awareness and provide tips to people regarding internet and telephone scams, the Ames Police Department held an information session at the Lincoln Center Hy-Vee Thursday morning, which Community Outreach Officer Eric Snyder said makes roughly 12 such events in the past few months.

“This late winter/early spring, we’re doing a lot of targeted outreach to international residents, the elderly population, and then just any group that we can get in front of to inform them about these scams,” Snyder said. “The scammers are preying on a specific trait of a population.”

According to Snyder, many of the scams targeting international students have to do with temporary visas, or registration, and because many of the students do not know how U.S. laws work, they often fall victim to the scammers and pay whatever amount so they can stay in school. For the elderly, Snyder said that scammers usually prey on the victim’s family, and make it seem as if a relative is in jail or the hospital.

During every one of these talks, Snyder said he hears from numerous people with personal stories involving internet and phone scams.

“Every single time there’s at least a few people in the room that can tell you of either a scam that they were a victim of, a scam a friend was a victim of, or one that themselves or somebody they knew almost became a victim of,” Snyder said. “It’s amazing how far some of these scams out there can go before somebody will notice.”

Snyder said the Ames Police Department receives at least two scam calls a week throughout the year, and during tax season, he said that number is usually higher. He said that doesn’t even scratch the surface of how many scams are actually out there that go unreported.

“When you realize you’re not getting what you paid for, or after you calm down and find out that you’re not actually wanted by the IRS for not paying your back taxes, you realize that $200, $400, $500 you paid that person is gone, and you’re embarrassed,” Snyder said. “It’s pretty underreported, and most people know that there’s not a lot we can do about it, so they don’t report it.”

Even the people who do file reports may not get to see the scammers brought to justice. According to Snyder, a majority of the time, scammers are out of state or even out of the country, and ask victims to pay in ways that cannot be traced, like Western Union, reloadable money cards, and gift cards.

“Oftentimes, there’s not a lot that we can do,” Snyder said. “The scammers know our limitations, and know what can and can’t be traced.”

This is why Snyder said outreach events like this are so important. Though he said scammers are often good at staying one step ahead of police, by talking with people and getting them to be wary and ask questions, it will hopefully limit the amount of scam victims in the area, Snyder said.

“We’re behind the eight-ball with these; that’s why we do the preventative measures of getting out and talking with people,” Snyder said. “If we can just get people to not fall for the scam in the first place, then we don’t have to try to investigate or finish an investigation that probably isn’t going to end with any charges or convictions.”