WEST ALLIS, Wis. — From unexpected phone calls claiming you’ve missed jury duty to job offers that vanish after you’ve done the work, scams today are more deceptive and damaging than ever.
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This Thursday, community leaders, law enforcement, and fraud survivors will gather in West Allis to shed light on how these scams work—and how to stop them.
The Wisconsin Better Business Bureau (BBB) will host a press conference at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 8, at 10019 W. Greenfield Ave., West Allis, to recognize National Scam Survivor Day—a day devoted to honoring people who’ve come forward to share their stories in the fight against fraud.
The event also spotlights critical tools like BBB Scam Tracker and the Scam Survival Toolkit, which provide free resources for prevention, reporting, and recovery.
Among those sharing her experience is Lisa Kowalkowski, a Milwaukee-area resident who thought she’d found legitimate work helping to ship packages over the holidays. What seemed like an easy side gig quickly turned into a devastating loss.
“I was involved in a shipping scam and where I had to have packages that were mailed to me. I had to take off the label, re-box them, resend them to someone else,” she said.
She was promised prompt payment and even bonuses.
“They promised you an initial payment of $3,800 so all your bonuses were adding up as you did all these shipments and everything like that so it’s Christmas time I’m expecting a check for almost $9,000.”
Watch: West Allis event spotlights scam survivor stories and fraud prevention tools
But the check never came.
“My check will be there at 6 o’clock this evening. 6 o’clock the evening rolled around, there was no deposit in my account whatsoever and they had all my account information—I was pretty much SOL out of all my money.”
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The financial toll was significant—but so was the emotional impact.
“Went through a state of depression from it actually, tell you the truth, because of all that money being lost. But thank God I was working at the time," she said. "Still, $8,000 for Christmas that you’re preparing for and then all of a sudden there’s no money there whatsoever.”
Kowalkowski said the scam started with a phone call offering quick money in exchange for simple work.
“I got a phone call from someone asking me if I was interested in the job—So I’m gonna pay you $3,800 and you’re gonna do this, cause you know you’re looking for something that’s quick fast money and everything like that in society because everything is so expensive nowadays.”
She immediately took action, reporting the scam to the Better Business Bureau and the U.S. Postal Service.
“Went to the Better Business Bureau right away, reported it and tried to see if something I can do with that—reported it [to] the post office and gave them as much information I possibly can.”
Since then, she’s become more cautious.
“Dealing with things a lot, trying to get myself back together… I try not to go through scams or anything like that. I try to be mindful of what I’m doing online.”
Her advice to others: stay skeptical.
“Be skeptical of every little thing that you do nowadays," she said. "Double check, recheck, go to Google. Google is your best friend. ChatGPT can also help you—it’s so worth it in the long run.”
Scams Target the Unaware, Warns Sheriff’s Office
According to Detective James Carey with the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office, phone scams are a growing concern in Southeast Wisconsin—and across the nation. Scammers impersonate law enforcement, government officials, or financial agencies to create fear and urgency.
“So usually people are contacted by scammers by phone, by text message or by email or through social media," he said. "Things to look out for is the request for money.”
One common scam involves threats of legal action.
“If people know that they don’t have any sort of criminal history or pending criminal matter—and they’re approached by somebody saying that they have a warrant—contacting law enforcement and verifying that before sending any kind of money is a good idea.”
Another red flag: unusual payment methods.
“It’s abnormal for any sort of government agency to request for you to send money through a wire transfer or through a gift card—any sort of alternative payment method like that is abnormal.”
Cryptocurrency is another increasingly common scam tool.
“I also like to caution people that cryptocurrency is not a normal way of requesting money from people.”
Scammers often target older adults or people unfamiliar with technology.
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“I’d see that the population that’s the most targeted is the elderly—or a population that’s less in touch with current advancements and technology—those are the sorts of people that are targeted.”
“The people that aren’t familiar with technology—might not realize that once that transaction is completed that money has no return guarantee like if you were to send money through your bank or write a check.”
Residents are urged to be vigilant, especially when contacted about:
- Warrants for arrest
- Missed jury duty and fines
- Social Security payments or benefits
To verify any suspicious claims in Milwaukee County, contact:
- Sheriff’s Warrant Desk: 414-278-4713
- Jury Management Office: 414-278-4469
- Social Security Administration: 1-800-772-1213
Even if a scam is avoided, Carey encourages everyone to report any attempts.
“Every piece of detailed information helps local, state, and federal authorities stop these scams.”
A Community United Against Scams
The May 8 press event will also feature:
- West Allis Mayor Dan Devine, addressing scam impacts on local residents
- Community Officer Brian Saftig from the West Allis Police Department
- Tony Lupo, a vigilant consumer who has successfully prevented scams by verifying calls through BBB
BBB Senior Director Lisa Schiller hopes the event encourages more victims to speak out.
“The second Thursday in May each year is marked ‘National Scam Survivor Day,’ which allows the BBB to recognize the brave men and women who come forward to report scams, tell their stories, and help others avoid being impacted.”
This year, the BBB will also launch new resources for small businesses, helping them identify fraud risks and protect their operations.
Schiller added, “We are pleased to provide important, significant, free tools to people which help to prevent, educate, and recover from scams.”
For more information or to report a scam, visit bbb.org/scamtrackeror contact your local law enforcement agency.
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