Wyoming Reported Scams Annual Release of Data
In its fifth year of collecting scam information, the CyberWyoming Alliance released the annual Wyomingite reported scam statistics from the Hacker’s Brief, a weekly report of scams that are redacted and posted on Facebook groups, sent via email subscriptions, and printed in community minded newspapers. The information is collected through phishing@cyberwyoming.org. Wyomingites self-report text, phone, email, mail and in-person scams to alert their friends, family and neighbors.
Aligning with national statistics, Wyomingites reported email as the primary method for hackers to contact them, with 78 emails reported in the past 2 years captured by the CyberWyoming Alliance. Text messages were second at 45 and phone reports were third at 8.
The largest category of scam reports (59) were the Fakes, which are comprised of fake delivery notifications, invoices, renewals, winnings, offers, and purchases. Employment scams were the second largest category at 13 reports. ‘Impersonating an individual’ scams were the third largest category at 5 reports. The most impersonated companies on the list include PayPal (10), Amazon (8), USPS (7), McAfee (4), and GeekSquad (3). Although not a company, individuals were the most frequently impersonated, with 16 reports. Employment scams and impersonation of individuals, the second- and third-largest categories of reports, accounted for some of these cases, including those involving former and current employees of Wyoming businesses.
In these impersonation scams posing as employees, bosses, or even entire companies, scammers sought to steal sensitive information or reroute payroll funds. Phishing emails were used to request changes to direct deposit accounts, while fake W2 verification messages attempted to steal personal data. Additionally, cybercriminals impersonated government-affiliated figures to infiltrate businesses. These incidents reveal an alarming rise in the sophistication of fraud tactics, making it clear that businesses need robust cybersecurity practices— such as secure payroll portals, employee training, and email authentication protocols— to prevent data breaches and financial losses.
The scope of impersonation scams extended beyond businesses to local Chambers of Commerce and government agencies. For example, fraudulent emails offering fake Chamber membership lists often came from unfamiliar or generic email addresses, falsely claiming to represent organizations like the Sheridan and Goshen County Chambers. Similarly, a phishing email impersonating the Evansville Police Department directed recipients to a malicious link.
In addition to these, multiple Wyoming residents reported receiving fake USPS delivery texts containing phishing links requesting personal and payment information. Victims, especially those expecting packages, unwittingly entered their payment details, leading to fraudulent charges and the need to replace their bank cards. USPS employees at local post offices clarified that they never send text messages regarding delivery issues and regularly assisted residents in identifying these scams. Similar schemes targeted other delivery services, including FedEx, UPS, and US Customs, particularly during the holiday season. CyberWyoming participated in a University of Wyoming webinar with one of the scam victims describing their experience with the delivery scam text.
Here is the recorded video!
Meanwhile, 2024 also saw a rise in toll payment scams, where cybercriminals used “smishing” texts to deceive victims into paying fake toll invoices. These scam messages, often impersonating services like EZPass or SunPass, created a false sense of urgency by threatening late fees, registration suspensions, or damage to credit scores. The texts typically contained suspicious links that led to fraudulent websites designed to steal financial information, adding another scam to be aware of for Wyoming residents.
Normally the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaints Center (ic3.gov) releases the previous year’s data in March, however, it had not yet been published at the time of this article. When the data is released, CyberWyoming will provide a comparison between the FBI’s report and the CyberWyoming Alliance data.
In the meantime, CyberWyoming Alliance encourages Wyomingites to discuss scams they see with friends, family, neighbors and co-workers. Studies show that prior knowledge of a scam reduces the chances of a potential victim engaging with the scammer. This insight is drawn from studies such as “Exposed to Scams: What separates victims from non-victims?” conducted by the BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust, the Stanford Center on Longevity, and the FINRA Investor Education Foundation, published in September 2019.
CyberWyoming Executive Director Laura Baker suggests that creating a security aware culture in the family or business can combat scams and fraud. Creating the culture that ‘if you see something, say something’ applies to online fraud as much as it does to terrorist activity. Families should discuss scams and scam tactics at the dinner table and companies should discuss them at staff meetings. Family passwords should not be abandoned as the children get older, keep it to avoid phone call scams that could involve voice cloning.
CyberWyoming’s Hacker’s Brief helps build this awareness by alerting citizens to the latest scams, combining national fraud reports with Wyoming citizen submissions. Published weekly through the Wyoming Press Association and other networks, it keeps communities informed.
Wyoming citizens are encouraged to report scams to phishing@cyberwyoming.org to help protect others.
