Kane County Reporter

Dan Ugaste, State Representative of Illinois State House District 65, has issued a warning about the rise in text and email scams during the holiday season. He shared advice for residents on how to avoid falling victim to these scams in a Facebook post dated December 17.

"Text and email scams are on the rise and especially prevalent during the holidays," said Ugaste, according to Facebook. "Here are some common scam tactics you should look out for."

In his post, Ugaste provided a link to a report from WROK News Talk. The report focuses on identifying scam texts and the potential consequences of clicking on malicious links. A typical scam text may appear to be from a legitimate company, convey urgency, and include a link. However, recipients are advised not to click these links. According to the WROK article, clicking such links could install malware on devices, granting scammers access to personal information or connecting them directly with scammers who may demand sensitive data.

Screenshot of State Rep. Dan Ugaste's Dec. 17 Facebook post | State Representative Dan Ugaste's Facebook page

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) released an updated version of their BBB Scam Tracker in March. This research indicates that investment scams pose the highest risk among reported scam types, followed by employment scams and online purchasing scams. More than 68% of all reported scams occur online, with monetary loss from scams increasing by 27.8% from 2022 to 2023. Additionally, reports of scams via social media platforms rose by 27.8% over the same period.

A recent incident highlighted the dangers of such scams when a Palos Hills resident lost $26,500 after responding to a fraudulent text message that appeared to be from their bank's fraud department. The text prompted the resident to wire money to an unknown account. The case is currently under investigation by Palos Hills police.

Ugaste has represented Illinois' 65th House District since 2018 and is a former attorney and shareholder at Nyhan, Bambrick, Kinzie & Lowry. His legal career focused on workers' compensation defense and related litigation. Ugaste has also served as President of the Lake Forest College Alumni Board and held leadership roles in various bar associations and committees. He is an alumnus of Lake Forest High School and Lake Forest College and holds a Juris Doctorate degree from DePaul University.