The Federal Trade Commission reported that Texas was the fourth-ranked state for scams, losing $763 million in 2022.
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — Harris County officials said they want to empower residents to protect themselves from fraud as the holiday season approaches.
On Wednesday, Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee announced the “Stay Scam Free in Harris County” initiative to combat fraudulent schemes and scams.
Menefee said his office has seen increased reports of title company and deed scams impacting people’s homes.
One victim shared her story on Wednesday.
This week, the Harris County Attorney’s Office filed a civil lawsuit against defendants Ironside Builders, South Victory Group and Mayer Properties.
The attorney’s office claimed one of the businesses convinced a woman who wanted repairs done on her house to deed the property to them to get a loan for home repairs.
Instead of getting a loan, the house was taken and sold for a profit and Wanda Jackson was evicted from her house.
Jackson is a 70-year-old retired Houston ISD teacher who lost not only her home and its belongings but another property her family owned.
“Looking back on what happened, there were red flags. I was not aware of what actually transpired,” Jackson said.
“Our goal with this effort is one help people protect themselves proactively, but if you bring something to us, that we can pursue in a lawsuit, we’re trying to immediately make it stop, get the company penalized,” Menefee said.
The civil lawsuit demands that the property be returned to Jackson and asks for damages totaling $1 million.
We’ve attempted to reach the defendant in the lawsuit but have not heard back.
Protecting yourself from holiday scams
Menefee said the Federal Trade Commission reported that in 2023, Americans lost more than $10 billion to fraudulent schemes, with Texas ranking as the fourth-highest state for scams, losing $763 million in 2022.
The county attorney gave the following examples of common scams that tend to circulate during the holidays:
- Amazon scam: A caller posing as an Amazon employee claims there’s fraud on your account and requests sensitive information.
- Sweepstakes scam: A text message with a link claims you’ve won a prize, which, when clicked, allows scammers access to your data.
- Gift card scam: A message from someone impersonating a friend or family member asking for gift cards to “help them out” in a dire situation.
Menefee urged residents to take the following steps to protect themselves from potential scams:
- Stop: Pause before responding to any unsolicited requests for information.
- Verify: If contacted by someone claiming to be from a company like Amazon, hang up and check your account directly.
- Avoid providing information: Don’t give personal details in response to unusual requests.
- Monitor Accounts: Regularly check financial accounts for unauthorized transactions.
- Credit: Check your credit reports to avoid being scammed.
Visit scamfreeagency.com for more tips on avoiding scams this holiday season. If you’re a victim of fraud, you can report it directly to the Harris County Attorney’s Office through the website or text them at 346-354-7459.