Illinois scams

The holidays bring cheer, but they also bring con artists. This season, keep your wallet close and your wits even closer.

These text scams are happening in Illinois and all over the country. They work very well for scammers, but it's bad news for you if you fall for one.

There are small scams happening every day around the country that most of us just accept because what choice do we really have?

Scams are happening all over the country at all times, but it sure seems as though Illinois residents have been getting hit extra hard over the last few months. Everyone, regardless of age, has a target on them, but attempted scams on seniors are skyrocketing.

As the temperatures in Illinois begin to rise, so do the amount of scams that target people who are looking to make a little extra money with some spring/summer work. The Rockford Regional Office of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) warns that fraudulent offers to turn your vehicle into a rolling advertisement are just that...fraudulent.

If you receive a phone call and the caller opens the conversation with a certain four-word phrase, hang up immediately!

Spring is an opportunity for scammers to capitalize on all the home improvement projects you've been neglecting.

A few years back, it was easier to tell who was calling you. Their name and number (or at least the number) would show up on your caller ID, and you'd have some idea of where they were calling from. Now, a scammer simply changes a few things to make it look like a local number is calling you, or even worse, it'll look like a friend or family member's number.

There have been scams around as long as humans have been around, which means that there are thousands of different ways for the unscrupulous among us to trick people out of their money.