If your holiday shopping list is far from complete, consumer advocates in Nebraska hope you don't ignore warning signs of scams in the rush to buy gifts.

In a digital world, there are always new things to pay attention to.

Over the past few years, shoppers have been warned about avoiding gift card scams, or not falling prey to phony texts about a shipment delay.

Jina Ragland - associate state director of advocacy and outreach for AARP Nebraska - said the emergence of cryptocurrency in the online trading world presents another challenge, including during the holiday shopping crunch.

"Scammers and fraudsters are using the same types of scams that they've used in the past," said Ragland, "but they're now soliciting people to pay them through the cryptocurrency ATMs, using things such as bitcoins and that."

AARP says if you're directed to send someone money by converting cash to cryptocurrency at a convenience store kiosk, it's a scam.

As for other tips, experts note scammers can tamper with gift cards on store racks and steal the funds when the card is activated.

They say it's best to ask for a gift card sold behind the counter. They also advise regularly updating software on your electronic devices for additional fraud protection.

Ragland said if you get a call from someone initiating a scam about a purchase you never made, asking for a call-back number will quickly get their attention.

"Typically, you will find if you do ask for a call-back number, they're going to hang up on you immediately," said Ragland, "because they've not gotten what they need and they want it, and they know you're on to them. "

Overall, Ragland said a key thing to remember is, if you see an online ad for something that appears too good to be true in terms of price, it's usually a fishy deal.

Shoppers are also encouraged to take advantage of tracking information and other shipping supplier services, and to schedule deliveries for when you or someone you trust is present to receive them.

They may offer people a legitimate way to convert cash into cryptocurrency but crypto ATMs are also popular with scammers.

Washington had the highest rate of reported impostor scams in the country in 2023, according to the Federal Trade Commission. The Spokane City Council recently passed a resolution supporting more state regulations for the crypto ATMs, including limits on how much money can be withdrawn daily.

Det. Tim Schwering of the Spokane Police Department, said his office is receiving two or three calls a day about crypto ATM scams.

"$50,000 is very common in losses," Schwering pointed out. "You know, $100,000, $200,000 in losses, entire life savings wiped out from these types of scams."

Schwering noted most of the scams center around fake romantic relationships or bogus investment opportunities. He added most of the scammers are based in countries with no diplomatic relationships with the U.S. law enforcement. Even if he can find the money in countries like China, Russia or North Korea, he cannot get it back.

Schwering emphasized investment scams can be especially hard to recognize because scammers will allow victims to withdraw some money after making it look like their investment has grown on a fake website. Once victims feel secure they can withdraw their supposed "earnings," the con escalates. The FBI estimates Americans were robbed of close to $6 billion in 2023 through crypto-related scams.

"When you're making that kind of money, you can put money into building websites that are, they look like, legitimate investment websites," Schwering explained.

Schwering is working with the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions on legislation to limit the amount of money someone can deposit into a crypto ATM to $1,000 a day. He said it will not solve the problem but could help mitigate the potential losses.


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South Dakota is among the states with the highest percentage of residents carrying medical debt but a new federal rule announced this week could ease some of the pressure when they apply for loans.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has finalized a rule stating credit agencies cannot share a person's medical debt history with a lending institution requesting credit information. The only debt details that can be relayed to determine a person's creditworthiness are mortgages, car loans, credit cards and similar activity.

Patricia Kelmar, senior director of health care campaigns for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, said groups like hers had long pushed for this move.

"Medical debt is not really indicative of somebody's ability or desire to pay back a loan," Kelmar pointed out. "Oftentimes people are in a situation where they get a bad medical diagnosis, or they've been in a car accident. Suddenly they have a lot of medical bills."

According to the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker, nearly 18% of South Dakota adults report having medical debt. The national average is 8%. Some credit agencies already exclude medical debt in loan situations.

Kelmar acknowledged the incoming Trump administration could seek to reverse this rule change, as some advisers have said they want to do away with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau altogether.

Pushback is also expected from debt collection firms. Kelmar emphasized skeptics should know keeping medical debt out of the equation is good for the overall economy.

"The long arm of medical debt can really hurt people's financial future and their ability to get better," Kelmar contended.

For example, she noted a person emerging from a medical scare might need a new car to rejoin the workforce but the sudden health care debt they incurred might get in the way. The new rule will be effective 60 days after it's published in the Federal Register.


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A bill reforming the New York-New Jersey Port Authority is coming back before New York's Legislature.

The reforms it would implement date back to the Bridgegate scandal of former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. The bill increases oversight measures and transparency regarding capital planning. Although it passed with bipartisan support during last year's legislative session, Gov. Kathy Hochul vetoed it.

Rachael Fauss, senior policy analyst for the group Reinvent Albany, said the reforms can improve the agency.

"It would require much more public consultation, notification and hearings about the Port Authority's capital plan," Fauss explained. "Port Authority is actually the second-biggest public authority in New York State."

The legislation would add nonvoting members such as mass transit users to the Port Authority's board. It also requires members of the Port Authority to appear before the legislatures in New York and New Jersey when there is a public hearing. In her veto message, Hochul said she wants a more collaborative bill with New Jersey officials but Fauss feels signing the bill would have opened communication. So far, the bill is in committee.

New Jersey's Legislature has yet to pass a similar bill to enact the reforms. The hope is to increase public awareness about the agency's more than $9 billion budget. The Port Authority's primary opposition to the bill centered around how the changes might restrict its operations.

Fauss noted there are concerns the agency is too independent.

"Public authorities of states are often seen as being independent agencies, but that can go too far, and they can act without accountability," Fauss contended. "There is that sort of gut reaction of, 'Well, don't we want this authority to be independent?' But, obviously, we think that has gone too far because it was used for political purposes."

While it remains to be seen how the bill could shake out in the coming session, it could get bogged down in politics. Given New York enacted congestion pricing, which New Jersey has long opposed, it is uncertain whether the two states will come together about the legislation and Port Authority's reforms.