DIGGING DEEPER: New report reveals soaring fraud cases in Chippewa County, victim speaks out
February 20, 2024

"We took a lot of fraud calls during one of my shifts," said Officer Zachary Joyce, with the Chippewa Falls Police Department.

So, Officer Joyce dug into the data.

"It spiraled into a whole project of 'how much was the entire community out and how can we make this number a lot less next year and following years?'" 

Officer Joyce's report found that in 2023, 212 Chippewa County residents fell victim to fraud. The losses totaled over $1.19 million. 

To break it down even further, nearly $725,000 was taken from 76 victims from scammers outside the U.S. Meanwhile, over $471,000 was taken from 136 people within our borders."

"I think the important thing is that people realize these statistics and do something proactive so that they don't fall victim again in the future," said Schiller.

So, who are these victims?

"Years ago, people just automatically assumed it was always senior citizens. And that really was the case for quite a while. It is no longer. We are seeing younger people falling victim for more scams than any other age group, 18 to 24 or so," said Schiller.

"I found it on Facebook and it was a sponsored ad," said Stalson.

Stalson's story begins in August of 2023. She was looking for an apartment for her and her son. So, she recruited what appeared to be a private real estate agent, Tanya's Property.

"She said she found a two bedroom in my area, gave me an address," said Stalson. "I was able to go on Google Earth and locate this particular place. Then she started with fees."

Those fees included an application fee, security deposit, first month's rent, carpet cleaning and damages. The costs added up quickly.

"But I haven't seen it yet. And she was like 'I wish you understood how this works.' And I'm like this doesn't make any sense," said Stalson.

Despite her hesitation, Stalson's desire for the rental motivated her to continue, making her payments via PayPal. 

"It came down to where I paid everything I had to to get this place. We agreed on a date and time for me to move in," said Stalson.

With the moving truck packed, she pulled up to the townhome only to find it occupied by someone else.

"So immediately I knew it was a scam and called 911," said Stalson.

However, she had already lost over $3,000.

"Never send money via a gift card or wire transfer, which are untraceable methods of payment, to anyone you have never met before," said Schiller.

Stalson's case is still open and Tanya's property is still active on Facebook. When confronted about the allegations, the person behind the profile denied any wrongdoing. However, any attempt to contact the page's administrator for an interview was rejected. 

"Always take a step back, resist the pressure to act immediately and think about it. Check on things," said Schiller.

"Don't feel embarrassed about it," said Officer Joyce. "It does happen to a lot of people and there probably are more victims out there that did not report it. It can be a tough thing to do because at the end of it you're out of that money and you just don't know what to do, where to turn. Please don't feel embarrassed, just still go out and report it."

Stalson said she wants to share her story to spread awareness not only to the Chippewa Valley, but to her son.

"I don't want him to grow up thinking 'I can't trust anybody,'" said Stalson.

News 18 spoke with a former property manager who read the messages between Tanya's Property and Stalson. He said the conversation was filled with red flags. He said you will never be asked to pay a fee regarding cleaning or damages. He also said paying via PayPal and paying before seeing the property are also warning signs.

DIGGING DEEPER: New report reveals soaring fraud cases in Chippewa County, victim speaks out | Digging Deeper | wqow.com

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