Fraud protection classes offered at public library
In the News
When it comes to fraudulent scams, Brandon Quam has been there. Now, he’s doing something about it so that others don’t have to face the consequences he’s seen.
On Friday, Nov. 18, Quam held a seminar-style class on fraud prevention at the Maryville Public Library, a class which he said he wants to hold quite frequently.
“I’m hoping to start holding classes at least once or twice a month,” Quam said. “I would definitely look to do it twice a month if there’s good turnout.”
Quam said his first seminar had a good turnout.
“Around 12 people showed up to the first class,” Quam said. “I didn’t expect any; I thought I’d have a dead crowd.”
Quam said he started teaching these classes because of his past experience.
“I’ve done volunteer work on the Internet hunting down scam artists for three years,” Quam said. “I started falling victim to scams before that, and I wanted to show people how to avoid them.”
The most common scams, Quam said, usually come through email, phone, and unsecured buyer websites.
“A lot of scams usually happen with strange e-mails and people who buy stuff on EBay or Craigslist,” Quam said. “One of the most common is getting calls from someone who you think is the IRS.
“The big thing to remember is, the IRS never calls. They send a certified letter to your house, and if you don’t respond, they send an agent.”
Quam said his knowledge of the ins and outs of scamming means he sometimes has fun with the people who call him.
“This one time, I got a call from a 202-area code, Washington D.C.,” Quam said. “When I picked up, they introduced themselves as the IRS, and I knew it was fake.
“So after messing with the guy for awhile, I just hung up on him. He called back several times, but I just kept answering and hanging up on him.”
Quam said it was important to remember what to do after a scammer calls you.
“You have to report it to the Federal Trade Commission and ic3.com,” Quam said. “You’re always supposed to call the FTC, but it’s also a good idea to get in touch with the FBI.
“Unfortunately, the FBI doesn’t have a phone line for phone scams, so they set up the website ic3.com. They were getting too many calls to sift through, which is why they set it up.”
As for the classes, Quam said he conducts them as more of an open forum.
“It’s really so that people can come in with their questions and have them answered,” Quam said. “It’s less me lecturing and more them getting information based on their inquiries.”
The next two classes will be held Friday, Dec. 16 and Friday, Jan. 20. Both will take place at the Maryville Public Library from 4:30 – 5:30 p.m., and are offered free of charge.