A UND sophomore told friends she nearly clicked a link promising a “parking refund” before noticing the sender’s address didn’t match campus email. Similar phishing attempts have circulated in neighborhood Facebook groups and parent chats this spring, echoing warnings Grand Forks Police have posted about impostor calls and suspicious links shared via text and social media. Nationally, reported consumer losses hit a record $10 billion in 2023, according to the Federal Trade Commission, underscoring a trend that’s showing up locally in inboxes, mailboxes, and on phones across the Red River Valley.
State officials say impostor scams and identity theft remain among North Dakota’s most common complaints, with criminals posing as government agencies, banks, or tech support to pressure quick action, according to the North Dakota Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division. Local institutions—from the City of Grand Forks utilities office to UND and Alerus Center—have urged residents to verify unexpected contacts through official channels rather than links or numbers provided by a caller or email.
How Scams Are Changing—and Why They Work
Classic scams still circulate: fake sweepstakes, tech-support pop-ups, and “grandparent” calls about urgent bail money. What’s changed is the polish. Caller ID spoofing makes a call look like it’s coming from a 701 area code or even a campus or city line, and convincing emails lift logos and signatures to mimic UND, the City of Grand Forks, or local banks. Criminals often push for payment through gift cards, wire transfers, or peer-to-peer apps, methods that are hard to reverse, the FTC notes.
Online, local residents report rental and job-posting scams aimed at UND students, with fake listings requiring deposits before a walk-through. Small businesses have flagged invoice fraud and vendor email compromise, where a hacked account quietly changes payment instructions—an issue the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center says costs companies nationwide millions each year. Military families at Grand Forks Air Force Base are also targeted by phishing that imitates Department of Defense systems like myPay; base public affairs offices routinely caution airmen to access official portals directly rather than through unsolicited links.
Why do these attempts succeed? Criminals exploit urgency and familiarity—using a boss’s name, a UND department’s logo, or a local utility’s billing cycle—to get you to act before you think, say cybersecurity educators at UND’s Center for Cyber Security Research and Outreach. The rise of generative AI and voice-cloning tools lowers the barrier to creating convincing messages and “spoofed” voicemails, trends documented by federal agencies including the FTC and FBI.
What Grand Forks Residents and Businesses Are Seeing
Residents describe a common pattern: a text about a package delivery fee, a call that “your utility will be shut off in 30 minutes,” or a message claiming to be a child away at school who lost a phone and needs money. When in doubt, locals say they’ve had success by hanging up and calling the institution back at a number they look up themselves—often revealing the original contact was fraudulent.
Banks and credit unions in the region have stepped up alerts. Alerus and other area institutions have advised customers not to read back one-time passcodes to anyone who calls unexpectedly and to treat Zelle or similar apps like cash because mistakenly sent payments are difficult to recover, according to their client advisories. If you think an account is compromised, institutions urge you to lock your card in-app, change your password, and call the number on the back of your card.
Business owners tell the Grand Forks Chamber of Commerce they’re contending with fake domain registrations that swap a single letter in a supplier’s address and urgent demands to change ACH details. The Chamber regularly circulates fraud alerts to members and encourages a “call-back” policy—verifying any payment change requests using previously known contact information rather than replying to the email that requested it.
Practical Steps to Guard Your Identity
Freeze your credit. It’s free with each bureau (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion), and it blocks new credit in your name until you lift the freeze. You can still use existing credit cards, and you can temporarily thaw your file online when needed, according to the FTC.
Check your reports. Visit AnnualCreditReport.com to get reports from all three bureaus. Set a calendar reminder every four months to rotate checks (one bureau each time) and catch errors early.
Use strong, unique passwords and turn on multi-factor authentication everywhere, especially for email, banking, social media, and UND accounts. A password manager can generate and store unique logins.
Slow down and verify. If a message triggers urgency—account lock, missed jury duty, shutoff—pause. Contact the agency using a number from its website (City of Grand Forks Utilities, UND One-Stop, or your bank’s official site) rather than the one provided in the message.
Lock down payments. Avoid gift cards, crypto ATMs, or wire transfers for unexpected requests. Treat P2P apps (Zelle, Venmo, PayPal Friends & Family) like cash; confirm the recipient live or with a known number before sending.
Update and back up. Keep your phone, laptop, and router software up to date, and back up important files. Turn on automatic updates to close known security holes.
Guard the mailbox. Opt in to USPS Informed Delivery, collect mail promptly, and use a secure drop for outgoing checks. Consider e-statements to reduce paper exposure.
Local learning opportunities: UND’s cybersecurity educators periodically host public workshops, especially during October’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month—watch the UND events calendar. The Grand Forks Chamber of Commerce also features fraud-prevention briefings for employers; check Grand Forks Chamber events.
Law enforcement guidance: Grand Forks Police encourage residents to report scams and provide as many details as possible, including screenshots and phone numbers, via the department’s non-emergency channels listed on the City of Grand Forks website. Statewide consumer complaints can be filed with the ND Attorney General Consumer Protection team, which also offers education on current scams.
If You’re Targeted or Victimized
Stop contact and document. Take screenshots of texts/emails, note caller IDs, and save receipts or transaction IDs.
Secure your accounts. Change passwords, enable multi-factor authentication, and contact your bank or credit union using the number on your card or statement to flag the account.
Report it. File with the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center for online or business email compromise, and the ND Attorney General Consumer Protection. Local incidents can also be reported to Grand Forks Police.
For identity theft. Create a recovery plan at IdentityTheft.gov; the site will generate letters for credit bureaus and businesses and guide you through fraud alerts and freezes.
Military families. Report phishing that impersonates DoD systems to your unit’s cybersecurity manager and visit Grand Forks AFB Public Affairs for official contact information and base notices.
City and campus alerts: The City of Grand Forks posts timely notices on utility billing and seasonal issues (like flood or storm repair scams). UND shares security advisories via the UND Newsroom and campus email; students can verify tech support requests through UIT or the UND One-Stop.
Community Resources
City of Grand Forks: Utility billing and public safety notices — grandforksgov.com
Grand Forks Police Department: Non-emergency reporting and scam alerts — Police page at grandforksgov.com
UND Center for Cyber Security Research & Outreach: Events and education — und.edu/academics/cyber-security
Grand Forks Air Force Base Public Affairs: Official updates and contact info — grandforks.af.mil
Grand Forks Chamber of Commerce: Business alerts and seminars — gochamber.org
Grand Forks Public Schools: Family communications and alerts — gfschools.org
What to Watch
Seasonal scam spikes tend to track key moments here: spring financial aid and off-campus leasing for UND students, tax season identity theft, and post-storm contractor fraud during Red River flood and hail repair periods. Expect more AI-aided phishing attempts; institutions across Grand Forks are updating verification steps and multi-factor login tools. Watch the UND events calendar and City of Grand Forks alerts for fall Cybersecurity Awareness Month workshops and any new local advisories.
