KSHB 41 reporter Marlon Martinez covers Platte and Clay counties in Missouri. Share your story idea with Marlon.
As online scams continues to grow, the prosecuting attorney in Clay County has started a new initiative aimed at educating students on the risks.
Newdatafrom the Federal Trade Commission shows students have become one of the biggest targets for scammers.
“When we first started the cease program, it was targeted towards seniors because they were falling victim to scams at extraordinarily high rates. But as time went on, we noticed that that was shifting, that younger generations were actually being targeted online at higher rates than older generations," said Clay County Prosecutor Zach Thompson.
The report from the FTC showed more than 12.5 billion dollars was reported lost last year due to scammers.
Dawson Coppinger a sophomore at William Jewell College said he get's a few calls a week, but can often detect they're scams.
"They'll usually have like very basic information about me. They'll have something that just doesn't sound right, like I don't own a house, but they'll ask about house insurance or something like that," said Coppinger.
Not many can detect scams and the new Citizen Education Against Scams and Exploitation (C.E.A.S.E) program aims to educate and teach students about scams and what to do to not fall for one.
“We’re reaching out to all the local schools to let them know that this resource is available to them, if they would like to educate the young adults that are going to school and even parents that we have this program that has information about the most common types of scams and how to defend against them," said Thompson.
In 2024, the Clay County Sheriff's Office said 36 people reported losing money to scammers.
But the Sheriff's office say they receive dozens of calls every week.
“All indications show that this is an increasing problem. It's a problem that's not going away," said Thompson.
The prosecuting office would like to come to your school or community event to teach about this program.
You can reach them via email at cher.congour@claycopa.com or phone 816-736-8314.
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