Government shutdown means open season for many phone and email scammers
The government shutdown is making it harder to stop illegal telemarketers, email scammers and robocall con artists, including those who pose as government officials demanding money.
The "Do Not Call registry" is unavailable. Federal workers who take complaints and track down scammers can't work. And scammers are well aware that a government shutdown means there's no one to crackdown.
Consumers across the country reported a spike in robocalls and email scam attempts. And don't assume that older adults are the only ones taking the bait. The people who get duped by these scam cover every demographic -- from highly educated professionals to savvy millennials.
You can still review the scam warnings and videos on government websites. Check the Federal Trade Commission, Federal Communications Commission, Social Security Administration and Internal Revenue Service. On the main website, just do a search with the key word SCAMS.
And here are some good websites for reporting and tracking scams that do not depend on furloughed government employees:
