If It Sounds Urgent, Hang Up: Spotting Today’s Top Scams

Scam texts, fake phone calls, hacked emails - fraud attempts are hitting businesses and individuals every single day. And as November marks National Fraud Month, it’s the perfect time to take a step back and make sure you're protected.

In this episode of Chamber Amplified from the Findlay-Hancock County Chamber of Commerce, Doug sits down with Diane Ragless of The Union Bank Company to break down what fraud really looks like in 2025 (hint: it’s not just those badly spelled emails anymore). Diane shares real-world examples, including the scam texts she received just before they recorded the interview. In today's episode you'll learn:

• The most common scams hitting our region right now
• Why urgency, fear, and guilt are the scammer’s favorite tools
• How generational habits (like always answering the phone) make certain people more vulnerable
• How scammers now cultivate “relationships” - not just one-off messages
• Why you should never click a link from an unexpected text or email
• What to do immediately if you think you've fallen for a scam
• Tools like account alerts, freezes, and ID Theft Smart that can protect your finances

Whether you’re protecting your household, your business, or your elderly parents, this episode gives you practical steps to stay a step ahead of fraudsters - and the confidence to hang up when something feels off.

Music and sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com

Transcript

0:00:05 - (Doug Jenkins): Hi, everyone, and welcome to Chamber Amplified, brought to you by the Findlay Hancock County Chamber of Commerce. I'm your host, Doug Jenkins. Are you looking for ways to grow your business, navigate new challenges, or maybe just stay plugged into what's happening in our community? Well, you're in the right place. Each week, we're diving into issues that matter most to local business owners, from hiring and workplace culture to technology planning and everyday realities of running a business.

0:00:30 - (Doug Jenkins): This week, we're talking about something that impacts absolutely everyone. Whether you run a business, own a business, work at a business, it's going to affect you personally. It can just be a giant pain. It's fraud, and November is National Fraud Month. But the truth is, scams just don't stick to the calendar. Unfortunately, they hit businesses and individuals every single day. My guest today is Diane Ragles from the Union Bank Company.

0:00:54 - (Doug Jenkins): She actually brought this up during a recent Chamber ambassadors meeting. She let us know that November is Fraud Awareness Month, and I thought that would probably be something we should delve into here on the podcast. And then so we set up the interview. We're good to go. And then even before our interview, she received two scam text messages herself. It's prevalent. It feels like it's nonstop. We're going to talk about how you can protect yourself.

0:01:16 - (Doug Jenkins): We'll look into some of the common scams that you should be aware of. Why scammers target emotions like fear, urgency, and guilt. How generational habits make you more vulnerable at times. And what to do if you think you're being scammed. We'll also talk about tools like alerts, frame freezes, ID protection services that can all help stop fraud before it happens. If you're ever worried about clicking on the wrong link, answering the wrong phone call, or having your business accounts targeted, this episode will help you stay one step ahead.

0:01:45 - (Doug Jenkins): And of course, before we get started, if you enjoy Chamber Amplified, please take a moment, leave us a rating or review on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify. It really does help more people find the show. Now let's get into it. So November is National Fraud Month, and unfortunately, we have to think about this more than just one month out of the year. This is a daily thing that's impacting people. But you were kind enough to bring it up at a recent Chamber ambassador meeting. And it got me to thinking, hey, let's sit down and talk about this. And just the latest that we're looking for and some of the things that Union bank is reminding people to do just to try and make sure. They don't become victims of this scam. So we appreciate you joining us for this.

0:02:27 - (Doug Jenkins): Let's, let's, I guess let's just. We'll start from your own personal experience. Before we even did this podcast, you sent me screen captures of two scam texts that you got just this morning. So to say that this is a prevalent issue is probably an understatement. What did you get this morning that you had to be on the lookout for?

0:02:45 - (Diane Ragless): Morning? It was a text from the state highway department and stating that I have a fee out there and that it's need, I need to pay it, and if I don't, what's going to happen? I could be jailed, I could be fined, I could be sued. And of course, there's a lot of rhetoric and different things in the podcast itself and. I'm sorry.

0:03:11 - (Doug Jenkins): Oh, yeah. In the text message, right.

0:03:13 - (Diane Ragless): Yes, yes. And you know, it's like, for like outstanding debt, what it's going to do and the percentage they're going to do. And as usual, they're trying to play on something that, oh, my goodness, I'm in trouble, I need to do something.

0:03:27 - (Doug Jenkins): So let's, I guess let's break it down from there. Where. What are some of the predominant scams we're seeing right now? You can get them on the phone, you get them text message. We get emails instead of the predominant ones. I should rephrase. What are the things we need to look out for? Has it changed much or are there new things we need to look out for? It's probably good just to get a review anyway.

0:03:51 - (Diane Ragless): It's a lot of the same and we all think it's common sense, but when you're the person that they're trying to make feel guilty, you kind of fall for that. They prey on, you know, the, the moment, loneliness, that type of thing. So the perpetrator is trying to get the victim to succumb to whatever they need. You know, it could be like an unexpected call. You know, if somebody calls and you don't recognize the number, don't answer it, it's probably fraud. And if not, they'll leave a message and you can always get back in touch.

0:04:26 - (Diane Ragless): The same with texts and emails. If it's an unknown source or they're asking you to do something, it's normally fraud. And you know, especially the pressure, the urgency, the, you know, you have to do this now. Don't tell anyone. And we all think that we are okay. And at the same time, we still see people coming in with their Phones in hand, they're going to do this, they're going to do that. And a lot of times the fraudster's still on the phone and it's just, you know, please hang up, call your bank, call whoever says they're calling, and just check it out.

0:05:04 - (Diane Ragless): You know, if you're getting an offer that seems too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true. And again, in the heat of the moment, reaction, of course, means you're going to react.

0:05:19 - (Doug Jenkins): So I think a lot of times we like to think of this as generational. We all like to think, well, I'd never fall for that. Maybe my parents, but not me, I'm too smart for that. But the one generational thing I do want to touch on, because you mentioned, when they call, if it's an unknown number, don't answer the phone. Which I think plays on like I'm of the age, which describing myself as anything of the age. But I can remember having a phone attached to the wall at my house when I was a kid. If the phone rang, you answered it. Eventually we got caller ID and things like that.

0:05:52 - (Doug Jenkins): But your societal norm from that period was the phone rings, you answer it, whether or not you know who's calling or not. And I think especially for people maybe my parents age or even a little younger than that, that's a hard habit to break. Even though we're, I don't know, two and a half decades into cell phones, they probably prey on that a little bit, I would imagine.

0:06:14 - (Diane Ragless): Yes, definitely. And that is definitely a targeted area. You know, the elder abuse, the, you know, the different scams, as you mentioned. And it might be someone who contacts you enough that they're now your friend and you trust them. So you give them the bank information, you give them your Social Security number. Or it could even be, you know, either a text message or someone pops on your computer or makes your computer go. Go blank.

0:06:42 - (Diane Ragless): You need to click here, do this. But again, it's a lot of times a scam, and by the time you're in, it's too late, they're already in.

0:06:53 - (Doug Jenkins): That's a really good point. You brought up too, that I think a lot of times we think of a scam like, like you mentioned the text message you got from the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles in their final notice, that that's almost kind of like a one and done. They send it, you don't respond to it, maybe you'll get it again. But they're not really cultivating relationship that way. But there are people who commit fraud who, like, they cultivate a relationship.

0:07:17 - (Doug Jenkins): And that's. That's something that anybody can fall for. It's regardless of age, demographic, what have you. Those are the ones that. I don't want to say they're any more or less dangerous than other ones, but those are probably ones that people fall for a little bit more frequently than the misspelled text message. I think that we're all used to getting.

0:07:38 - (Diane Ragless): Definitely. And you know, the, the dating sites, basically any site. And another thing, you know, I look at Facebook sometimes, you'll get an ad and you'll think, oh, I'd really like to check into that a little bit more. You click into it and then there you are. It's fraud. And, you know, if you want to purchase something, get out of Facebook, go directly to their website, make sure that it's accurate, make sure all the spelling is correct, because a lot of times it might be a letter or two different, but it's. Again, they are clever and they use every trick they can.

0:08:14 - (Doug Jenkins): Yeah, that's a really good point. First and foremost, don't click links from people you don't know. And even if you do know, sometimes you have to be careful because they may have been hacked. I think my son actually just sent me an email or sent me a. A screenshot of. Oh, his university email account was going to be deleted and it looked like it came from an official college person. But like, well, don't click that link.

0:08:40 - (Doug Jenkins): They probably got hacked or something's amiss somewhere that we can't see. Just don't click the link. Ignore it. If it actually comes to fruition, it's easy enough to touch base with customer support from whether it's a college or whatever business you're doing. You can actually just call them directly and probably deal with it if it were in fact something that was actually happening, which 99.9 of the time, it's not going to be that.

0:09:07 - (Doug Jenkins): You mentioned earlier that people will come into the bank on their phone and they've got the person perpetrating the fraud on the phone with you. I imagine one that's got to be heartbreaking and kind of a scary situation for them. How do you de. Escalate a situation like that when you see something like that comes in?

0:09:23 - (Diane Ragless): So normally if they're in my office, which we normally try to do, because it's embarrassing for the victim to think that they may have fallen for that scam or whatever, and it's kind of. They'll usually hide it because they're not supposed to be telling the bank or whatever. Or I've even had a gentleman who said that they left their phone in the car because they could still listen or whatever. But it's just like, let's take a peek. I said, can I see that number? I said, hang up. Let me call that phone number.

0:09:56 - (Diane Ragless): And nine times out of 10, it's either a foreign or they don't answer. The same as what they're calling from. You know, they're saying they're this business. And when you call that phone number from a different phone number, either they don't answer or it's not a good number. There's, there's ways to do that. But again, when you're in the heat of the moment, it does seem very real. So that's, you know, taking that extra step and. Well, let's, let's check this out. Let's either go online and check out their website or whatever and find out that they're fraudulent.

0:10:28 - (Diane Ragless): And sometimes they're not, but sometimes if the people are on the phone, it's definitely something that is a warning sign.

0:10:36 - (Doug Jenkins): I would imagine that AI makes this a little more difficult to sniff out sometimes. Are there. Have you seen AI being used? I think the one that, that really stands out to me, and this is one that, that concerns me quite a bit, is that if your voice is out there, and good Lord knows my voice is out there enough that scammers can use AI, they can replicate your voice using the AI, and then they can make phone calls sounding like you.

0:11:06 - (Doug Jenkins): Have you seen anything like that? Or is that more stuff to look out for down the road?

0:11:11 - (Diane Ragless): We have not. But, you know, people do receive calls. They do receive information. In the mail, it says it's from us or from, you know, their bank or from wherever trying to get that information. But again, you know, just check it out. Check it out online. If your bank is calling, turn around and call the bank and say, did you call me? Would you call me? And we do get that. When, you know, it's like a credit card or a debit card issue, because there is definitely a lot of that going on.

0:11:39 - (Diane Ragless): You know, call your financial institution and find out what's actually going on. Going on. Did somebody do that? Are they just trying to get more information? Because again, you're the victim and you're going to give them the information because you want to get it cleared up.

0:11:52 - (Doug Jenkins): I think I would just encourage people, just hang up. Like, if it's for real, they'll call you back or they'll find a different way to, to get in touch with you. But nine times out of 10, probably 99 times out of 100, you're not going to hear back from that person. I don't know how many times I do that here at the office where someone will call. You get that weird pause after you say hello, which is always kind of a tell that it's being routed to somebody in some office offshore somewhere.

0:12:18 - (Doug Jenkins): And as soon as I hear that pause, I just hang up. And you know what? Nobody ever calls back. If it was important, they would call back. So obviously just being vigilant is one thing, but if you do happen to fall for a scam one, first thing, don't be embarrassed about it. Take care of it. What are the ways to go about taking care of it?

0:12:37 - (Diane Ragless): Absolutely. Great idea. So through your financial institution, Union bank, of course, is one set up alerts on your phone for your banking. If a debit comes through, a credit comes through, you can set that up. You can set balance requirements. If your balance falls below, or if something unusual happens, those alerts will let you know via text or email, however you choose. And that's a great way to do that.

0:13:01 - (Diane Ragless): Another one is we have what's called ID Theft Smart, which protects your, your checking and savings accounts. And then of course, if it goes deeper than that, the credit reporting agencies definitely report fraud to the authorities. And also the three credit bureaus, by calling them, you can set that up or emailing them. Equifax, Experian and Meridian, we do have those phone numbers. Basically you put a freeze on your and in turn, let's say you want to come in and apply for a loan or whatever, you can always call and use your 4 digit pin that you set up and you can have the freeze removed for a period of time, a day or two, to allow the financial institution to pull your credit and then it goes right back on. So nobody can pull it without your authority.

0:13:56 - (Doug Jenkins): Diane, I know one thing that I've always heard is that when you buy things online or however you do that to use a credit card, because if that gets stolen, it's a lot easier to get reimbursed than if you use your debit card and it's connected directly to your checking your savings account. Is that true? Is there validity to that?

0:14:15 - (Diane Ragless): That is true. And the other thing to remember is if you authorized something, you're going to be liable for it. But again, if you did not stolen your credit card, your debit card, you file a dispute and we take it from there.

0:14:33 - (Doug Jenkins): So it's all good information. If people want to dig deeper into this, what are some resources for them to use?

0:14:41 - (Diane Ragless): So definitely we have material here. Or again, if it's a phone number, don't answer it. You know, check those websites as you're going through it. Go directly to websites, make sure that they're valid. If something pops up on your computer and it says maybe Best Buy or whatever, call Best Buy and see if they had actually contacted you. So just being taking a breath, giving it a second thought, asking someone else.

0:15:10 - (Diane Ragless): We'd rather you ask than not.

0:15:13 - (Doug Jenkins): It's a good point. And again, just be a jerk. Hang up on people. It's fun, it's liberating. They'll call you back if it's a real call. So, Diane, we appreciate your time on the podcast today. Thanks for suggesting this is a topic and we appreciate your time.

0:15:28 - (Diane Ragless): Yes, we appreciate it as well. Have a wonderful day.

0:15:31 - (Doug Jenkins): So that'll just about do it. For today's episode of Chamber Amplified, I thought I'd share a couple of different scam stories before we get out of here. Some that I have fallen for, one that was just kind of thrust upon me and my wife. We'll get into the one that I fell for. I think this is a common one, is you get an email, it's from your boss, that says, hey, can't get to my phone right now. Email me a time that you're available.

0:15:56 - (Doug Jenkins): I got that from a previous person who worked here, and it seemed a little off. I'm like, that's. But not enough that I didn't just immediately respond to it, like, hey, this will work. And then right after I sent it, I thought that was probably a scam. Mercifully, nothing bad came of that, but did do some research, and that's a scam that's out there, lets fraudsters know that that's an active email address and that they can then start bombarding you with more emails like that. That was a whole lot of fun. But let me tell you about one that we weren't directly involved in getting scammed, but it was a pain to work through. It just kind of digs into, like, the hours that you have to put in to deal with some of these sometimes. So my wife's ebay account got hacked at one point, and this is, I don't know, seven years ago at this point.

0:16:44 - (Doug Jenkins): What happened is the people got her email account that was attached to her ebay that she doesn't even use and probably doesn't even need to have it on there. But anyway, they started bidding on fraudulent items on ebay. Would you like to know what they bid on? It's fun, especially if you know me. $500 bottles of hairspray. Now, if you don't know me well, don't realize that I shave my head. So $500 bottles of hairspray. Probably not something I'm going to be into. Probably not something I'd be into even if I had hair.

0:17:18 - (Doug Jenkins): So that was fun. But they bought. They bought enough to trigger the alert like Diane was talking about, where it just stopped the spending. And we're at a son's baseball game. I'm looking at the alerts on the phone from the bank that we were with at the time. And hey, did you buy something on ebay? No. All right, well, this is a problem. And so you can have your bank help. I think this goes back to what we talked with Diane is have that connected to a credit card because I think it's going to be a lot easier than the road we had to. We had to go back and forth with this bank.

0:17:50 - (Doug Jenkins): Won't mention them by name. They're not a member here, so don't worry about that. But we had to go back and forth several times to prove that we didn't make that purchase, that we didn't buy $500 bottles of hairspray. That took probably a good month and a half before we finally had it set right. And that's just countless hours dealing with it, the stress dealing with it. And that's fraud that we didn't walk into.

0:18:16 - (Doug Jenkins): There's fraud that you obviously can get conned into pretty easily based on what we talked to with Diane. Again, a huge thank you to Diane Ragles from the Union Bank Company for walking us through how these scams work and more importantly, how you can protect yourself and your business. Fraud is stressful, like I said, but the earlier that you slow down, verify, ask questions, well, the better chances of stopping a scam before it causes a lot of damage.

0:18:39 - (Doug Jenkins): Chamber Amplified is a free resource from the Findlay Hancock County Chamber of Commerce, made possible thanks to the support of our members. Their investment drives everything that we do, from business advocacy to leadership programs to bringing you timely local information that helps your business thrive. If you'd like to strengthen your business and the community at the same time. Well, we'd love to talk about how a Chamber membership can help. Just let me know you're interested and we can get that conversation going.

0:19:03 - (Doug Jenkins): And if you have an idea for a future episode. Send me an email anytime. Djenkinsindleyhancockchamber.com thanks again for listening. And don't miss the next episode of Chamber Amplified.