FORT WRIGHT, Ky. — The Fort Wright Police Department is reporting a rise in scams, as swindlers develop new tactics to extract money from unsuspecting individuals.
In response, the department will host a free scam and fraud awareness class on Wednesday to help residents recognize and avoid these fraudulent schemes.
"The fraudsters are using different kind of means to extort money out of people, whether that's from emails, it's from phone calls," said Mike Gross, detective at Fort Wright Police Department.
WATCH: A scam can happen in seconds with a simple text sent to your phone.
Detective Gross emphasized the importance of education, saying that scams can take many forms.
"We even had one where one resident had a kidnapping scheme going on where someone called and said that her niece had been kidnapped," Gross said.
Gross plans to show a video revealing how artificial intelligence (AI) has made it easier for scammers to impersonate people, which has made it harder for victims to detect since fraudsters are using voice cloning.
"The scammers are using screams and cries from someone that may sound like a relative, and they're making these people believe that they have kidnapped one of their relatives, and if they don't hurry and buy their gift cards and give them the pin numbers then something bad may happen," Gross said.
The scam awareness classes will be held at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Wednesday inside the Fort Wright City Building, and anyone is encouraged to attend.
"Our elderly folks may not be aware of these AI videos and these new technologies that the fraudsters are using to extort money out of them," Gross said.
He offered a simple piece of advice for identifying scams: if there is a sense of urgency or if something sounds too good to be true, it’s likely a scam.
"If someone thinks they're being scammed, the first thing to do is contact your local police department," Gross said.
