Attorney General Jackley Encourages Public to Safeguard Personal Information As State Observes National Consumer Protection Week

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, Feb. 28, 2024

Contact: Tony Mangan, Communications Director, 605-773-6878

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley urges South Dakota consumers to take time, especially during next week’s National Consumer Protection Week, to protect their personal and financial information. National Consumer Protection Week starts Sunday, March 2, and runs through Saturday, March 8.

“The Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division received 68,000 calls, inquiries, and complaints in Fiscal Year 2024 from consumers who reported they had been a victim of a scam,” said Attorney General Jackley. “Scammers are becoming more adept at using social media to intimidate consumers, regardless of their age, into providing personal and financial information.”

Other consumer protection tips from the Consumer Protection Division are:

*** Do not give into high pressured sales tactics.  Stop, take a moment and review any offer.

***Buying a gift card to pay someone?  DON’T.  It’s a scam.

*** Always get any repair work, construction orders and other types of contracts in writing with expected cost estimates and deadlines.

*** Don’t trust your caller ID.  If you don’t know the number, DON’T answer the call. Hang up on robocalls. 

*** Don’t provide money or personal information via telephone or internet to an individual or organization that you don’t know or haven’t verified.

*** Be cautious about “free” trial offers.

*** Do not deposit a check and then wire money.

*** Be wary of any caller who tells you not to tell anyone else about the call.

*** Talk to someone you trust before you provide money or personal information to someone who contacts you.

Consumers who believe they may have been a victim of any type of scam should contact the Attorney General’s Office’s Consumer Protection Division at 1-800-300-1986 or at https://consumer.sd.gov/, You may be helping someone else out by reporting what you’ve encountered.

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