Safe Communities Corner

Making Summer Fun—and Safe—in the Digital Age Summer is a season kids look forward to all year. School is out, schedules are lighter, and long days create opportunities for fun, exploration, and independence. But for many parents, summer also brings a new challenge: managing increased screen time and the digital risks that come with it. With fewer structured activities and more unsupervised hours, children and teens often spend significantly more time online during the summer months. Whether they're gaming, scrolling social media, watching videos, or chatting with friends, that increased online activity can expose them to cyberbullying, inappropriate content, scams,…

AI Images and Videos: How Do We Know What to Trust?Every day, people scroll through countless images and videos online without stopping to question whether what they are seeing is real. Advances in artificial intelligence have made it possible to create highly realistic content that can imitate real people, events, and situations with incredible accuracy. While AI technology can be used for creativity, education, and entertainment, it can also be used to spread misinformation, manipulate emotions, and deceive viewers. As AI-generated content becomes more common, learning how to recognize and evaluate digital media is becoming an essential life skill.One of…

Artificial Intelligence and Fraud: How Scammers Are Using AI and How You Can Protect Yourself Technology has transformed the way we live, work, and communicate. Unfortunately, it has also transformed the way criminals scam people. Artificial intelligence (AI) is now being used by fraudsters to make scams faster, more convincing, and harder to detect than ever before. While scams themselves are not new, AI allows criminals to automate deception, imitate real people, and manipulate victims with alarming accuracy. From cloned voices to fake videos and sophisticated phishing messages, AI-enabled fraud is becoming one of the fastest-growing threats facing individuals, businesses,…

Tech Support Scams: What You Need to Know to Stay SafeIn today’s digital world, technology keeps us connected, informed, and productive—but it also opens the door to new types of scams. One of the most common and costly is the tech support scam, a scheme designed to scare people into giving away money, personal information, or access to their devices.As highlighted in our Safe Communities Corner, these scams are not just an inconvenience—they are a growing financial threat impacting thousands of Americans every year.🚨 The Real Cost of Tech Support ScamsTech support scams are responsible for billions of dollars in…

Don’t Fall for the Dream: How Lottery Scams Are Impacting Iowans Winning the lottery is something many of us have imagined at one point or another. A surprise windfall, financial freedom, and the ability to help loved ones—it’s an exciting thought. Unfortunately, scammers know this too, and they use that dream to take advantage of unsuspecting individuals. Between 2020 and 2025, Iowans reported losing over $5.2 million to lottery scams, with the majority of victims being age 65 and older. These scams are not just numbers—they represent real people, real savings, and real hardship. How Lottery Scams Work Lottery scams…

Safe Communities Corner: Understanding Common Cash Scams and How to Protect YourselfScammers are becoming increasingly creative, using everyday financial interactions to trick people into sending money or sharing sensitive information. While these scams can look very different on the surface, they all rely on one thing: urgency and trust. Understanding how they work is the first step in protecting yourself and your community.Below, we break down some of the most common cash scams highlighted in this graphic and explain how they typically unfold—along with practical tips to stay safe.Fake Check / Money Order ScamsThis scam often begins with what looks…

Safe Communities Corner: Protecting Families from the Grandparent ScamScammers have long targeted older adults, but recent technology has made these schemes more convincing—and more dangerous—than ever. One of the fastest-growing fraud tactics is known as the Grandparent Scam, and it exploits one of the strongest human instincts: a grandparent’s desire to help their family in a moment of crisis.Understanding how this scam works is the first step toward protecting yourself and your loved ones.What Is the Grandparent Scam?In a typical grandparent scam, a fraudster calls an older adult pretending to be their grandchild. The caller may claim they’ve been in…

Online romance scams are literally one of the most heartbreaking types of fraud. Unlike many scams that target quick decisions or financial confusion, romance scams target something far more personal: trust, hope, and emotional connection. Victims often invest weeks or months building what feels like a meaningful relationship. They share personal stories, dreams, struggles, and daily life. Over time, that emotional bond can feel very real. That’s why when the truth surfaces, the impact isn’t just financial, it’s deeply personal. How Romance Scams Work Scammers create fake profiles on dating apps, social media platforms, or even through direct messages. Often,…

Scammers are constantly finding new ways to steal money, and one of the most common methods they use today involves pre-paid cards and gift cards. These scams can happen quickly, feel convincing, and leave victims with little chance of recovering their money. Knowing how these scams work—and how to spot the warning signs—can help protect you and your loved ones. How Card Scams Work Gift card scams usually follow a predictable pattern: Initial ContactA scammer reaches out by phone call, text message, email, or social media. They may pretend to be a government agency, a debt collector, a company you…

Cyber Security Awareness Day: Why Prevention Matters MostJanuary 28 marks Cyber Security Awareness Day, a reminder that in today’s digital world, prevention is often the only effective defense against cyber crime.In our last Safe Communities Corner, we highlighted the success rates of our local law enforcement agencies. While those efforts are critical to community safety, cyber crime presents a different challenge. Because these crimes are often anonymous, difficult to trace, and frequently cross state and international borders, even the most successful law enforcement agencies have limited ability to respond once a cyber crime has already occurred.That doesn’t mean reporting cyber…