Preventing Financial Scams

The Community Foundation's Preventing Financial Scams Initiative offers a number of free resources to help you avoid becoming victimized by scammers.

Preventing Financial Scams Initiative

The Staying Safe After Loss Guidebook and Tips for Preventing Scams tip sheet and videos were created as part of the Community Foundation of Northern Nevada's Preventing Financial Scams Initiative, launched in 2019. The initiative aims to equip Nevadans with essential resources and information to avoid falling victim to scammers. Today, the initiative is led by the Better Business Bureau Serving Northern Nevada and Utah (BBB).

Focused on increasing community education about scams, the Preventing Financial Scams Initiative addresses the prevalence of scams and the need for awareness.

The Community Foundation's collaborative approach involves engaging diverse stakeholders, including organizations and residents, to tackle community challenges effectively. Through this process, the initiative's resources are seamlessly transitioned to other organizations, ensuring its impact is embedded in their ongoing work. This initiative was the third initiative for the Community Foundation and was transitioned to the BBB in 2023.

The Community Foundation of Northern Nevada has produced a series of short public service videos to help consumers avoid becoming victims of this growing threat in our community and around the world.

The series of 11 scam-prevention videos aim to increase awareness of scams with tips to help people avoid being victimized. Created in collaboration with the Better Business Bureau, each video averages 90 seconds in length and covers a specific type of scam:

Learn More About Preventing Common Scams

Graphic showing 7 adults in squares with a title reading Videos: Tips for Preventing Scams along with logos from the Community Foundation and Better Business Bureau

Reporting scams, fraud, or financial abuse

Nevada Attorney General
Online: https://ag.nv.gov/Complaints/File_Complaint/
Phone: 888-434-9989

Federal Trade Commission
Online: https://ftc.gov/complaint
Phone: 1-877-382-4357

Nevada Consumer Affairs
Online: https://consumeraffairs.nv.gov/About/File_a_complaint/

Adult Protective Services
Cases of abuse, exploitation, abandonment, and/or neglect of seniors or vulnerable populations
Phone: 888-729-0571

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Complaints about financial products and services https://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/

Better Business Bureau Scam Tracker
https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker/

Other Government Agencies

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
https://www.consumerfinance.gov/

Federal Trade Commission – Identity Theft
https://www.identitytheft.gov/

FBI Scams and Safety
https://www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety

Scam Trackers and Fraud Alerts

Better Business Bureau Scam Tracker
https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker/

AARP Scam Tracking Map
https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/tracking-map/

Robo Calls and Phone Scams

Federal Trade Commission National Do Not Call Registry
Online: https://www.donotcall.gov/
Phone: 1-888-382-1222

Phone Number – Lookup Unknown Caller Directory
https://800notes.com/

HIYA
Call Blocker and Protection https://hiya.com/

Checking Charities

Community Foundation of Northern Nevada
Phone: 775-333-5499

Guidestar
Nonprofit reports and information https://www.guidestar.org/

Charity Navigator Evaluates charities
https://www.charitynavigator.org/

Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance
http://www.give.org/

IRS
Tax Exempt Organization Search https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/

“The Community Conversation is an excellent format to get large amounts of information”

Preventing Financial Scams