By Weston Pope
The Sheridan Press
Via- Wyoming News Exchange

SHERIDAN — Internet scams remain consistent in 2025 as scammers continue to use increasingly sophisticated tactics to deceive and defraud people.

Scammers are now posing as fake law enforcement or medical officers and have started using scare tactics to coerce people into sending money. Scammers have also found loopholes through online selling markets such as Facebook Marketplace, according to Sheridan County Sheriff Levi Dominguez.

“The fake law enforcement /medical (category) is when someone impersonates a law enforcement officer or medical staff member and demands payment over the phone. Scams can become convincing because scammers use scare tactics telling the victim they will be arrested if they do not pay a warrant while on the phone, or the scammer provides a deal (on an item) that the victim cannot pass up. As always, if it appears too good to be true, it probably is, and law enforcement will never demand money over the phone,” Dominguez said.

So far this year, the Sheridan Police Department has received 65 reports of fraud, SPD Capt. Tom Ringley said. The Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office has reported 26 scams — which are based on people who fell victim to the scam — so far in 2025, Dominguez said.

The highest number of scams happened through Facebook Marketplace and impersonating a medical or law enforcement officer, Dominguez said. Five cases have been reported for each so far. Credit card fraud has been the second highest reported with four cases this year.

The SPD categorizes reported scams into three different categories. 

The first category includes people who have fallen victim to scammers who were out of state or out of country. The second category includes those who have unknowingly provided their personal information — social security number, financial institution, account and routing number — to a scammer. The third category consists of people who have actually been in contact with scammers and provided them funds, Ringley said.

“Unfortunately, we have had at least two incidents where victims have lost over $150,000 each,” Ringley said.

Scammers continue to prey on the elderly in Sheridan County, with many of the victims being older than the age of 50, Dominguez said.

“We are dedicated to investigating these incidents to the best of our ability, and we partner with other law enforcement agencies any chance we get, especially if the investigation leads to other jurisdictions. Oftentimes, because of the complexity of these scams and scammers, our investigation leads to dead ends,” Dominguez said.

The SPD continues to combat scammers by educating local community members and conducting scam screens. 

People who believe they are being scammed can call the police department, speak to an officer, present the information they have and the officer can determine if they are being scammed or not. The SPD has conducted 22 scam screens so far this year, Ringley said.

However, if someone sends money and later realizes they have been scammed, it can be very difficult to track and recover, Ringley said.

“The money is almost always sent electronically and it ends up on servers out of the country where we have no jurisdiction,” Ringley said. “What people can do, and what we advise people to do if they have fallen victim to a scam, is log on to a website called IC3.gov.; they can document their information and the federal agencies may investigate it.”

First Bank of Wyoming in Sheridan has started helping and keeping an eye out for potential scams on their customers’ accounts, Ringley said.

First Bank of Wyoming provides in-person support, educational services, fraud and scam alerts and educational videos for customers, First Bank of Wyoming Market President David Hubert said.

“Our front-line staff are trained to recognize the latest scam trends and stay alert during customer interactions. First Bank of Wyoming’s online Security Center offers information on safeguarding personal information, recognizing phishing attempts, and implementing safe online practices,” Hubert said. “Customers are informed about emerging scam trends through alerts on First Bank of Wyoming’s website and Facebook page, including warnings about fraudulent texts and emails.”

Some of the more common scams the bank has seen include phishing emails and texts, fake job offers, spoofed calls, and romance scams. 

Spoofed calls mimic the bank’s phone number, claiming issues with accounts and requesting verification details. Romance scams are scammers who build fake online relationships to gain trust and manipulate victims into sending money — often using emotional stories or urgent requests. Common red flags for romance scams include avoiding in-person meetings, professing love quickly and asking for money through wire transfers, gift cards or crypto, Hubert said.

“Banks will never ask customers to send money to themselves using a banking or payments app, or request sensitive information through unsolicited communications,” Hubert said.

For more information or to report suspicious activity, customers are encouraged to visit the First Bank of Wyoming Security Center at www.GoFirstBank.com or to contact customer service directly at (307) 673-1733.