Members of the public are encouraged to use caution to avoid scams during holidays.

Matt Schiltz, staff attorney for the Midwest regional office of the Federal Trade Commission in Chicago, said impostor scams are the most frequently reported type of fraud. For example, fraudsters may use artificial intelligence to mimic the voice of someone known to the victim, such as a friend or family member.

Schiltz explained that fraudsters create new, more persuasive scams by improvising on old ones. In a recent scam, a person posing as a bank employee contacted potential victims and informed them that they needed to move their money into another account for protection against tampering or government seizure.

Fraudsters may also use weather disasters, such as the recent hurricanes, to lure unsuspecting people to shell out dollars to a fake charity.

Consumers are encouraged to visit www.ftc.gov/imposters to learn more about the different types of scams. Anyone with knowledge of a scam should contact the agency at www.reportfraud.ftc.gov.