CLEVELAND, Ohio — As your consumer reporter focused on scams, I'm always trying to raise awareness about all the new schemes out there.
But this week, I learned scammers are pulling a page from an old playbook.
"They'll be hot and heavy, and then a bunch of agencies start warning about them and issuing alerts about them. And so, they're not as effective," said Sheryl Harris.
That's why Harris, with the Cuyahoga County Scam Squad, told me there was a significant reduction in "reloader scams" over the last decade, but now, they're seeing a resurgence.
A "reloader scam" is where a person who paid a scammer is contacted a few months later by someone claiming they are an attorney or police investigator, and they can catch those who took advantage of them for a fee.
The Scam Squad is now getting so many reports of "reloader scams," they're alerting all new victims one-on-one.
"We're starting to say if someone approaches you and tells you that you can pay money and to help, you know, catch these criminals or make them pay you back, that itself is a scam," said Harris.
Harris told me scams are cyclical, so it is not uncommon for them to be around for a while then disappear for years, and the "reloader scam" is a perfect example of that.
