Morning Briefing | Scams swindling area residents at all-time high

Area residents who have been scammed are reporting fraud complaints in record numbers.

In today’s Morning Briefing, we tell you about the most common types of scams. We also report on the efforts of local GOP lawmakers in Congress to impeach federal judges who oppose the Trump administration.

If you have thoughts or feedback on this newsletter or other news tips, please let me know at Greg.Lynch@coxinc.com.

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The newsletter should take about 4 minutes, 10 seconds to read.

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Scams bilking money from area people at all-time high, FTC reports show

The Federal Trade Commission received a record number of fraud complaints from this region last year, and scams cost Ohio consumers more than a quarter of a billion dollars.

• Most common tactic: Nearly a third of fraud complaints from Ohio consumers were about imposter scams.

• What are Imposter scams? They are calls, text or emails that try to convince you they are someone in authority. Scammers can be very clever and can do a convincing job of pretending to be government officials, law enforcement or court officers, tech support and business representatives and even friends and family members.

• More than ever: Consumers in the Dayton metro area filed 8,820 fraud complaints with the FTC last year, which was a 15% increase from 2023 and the most on record, going back to 2006.

• Other common kinds of fraud: They were related to online shopping and negative reviews; prizes, sweepstakes and lotteries; and internet, telephone and mobile services.

• What they are saying: “Scammers use many tactics to sound and appear credible,” the U.S. Marshals Service said. “They sometimes provide information like badge numbers, names of actual law enforcement officials and federal judges and courthouse addresses. They also spoof government phone numbers to appear on caller ID as if they are calling from a government agency or the court.”

Area Reps. Davidson, Jordan back Trump call to impeach federal judges

Angered by recent high-profile court rulings that have gone against the Trump administration, some GOP lawmakers in Congress are now openly embracing calls from both President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk to oust the federal judges behind those decisions.

• Trump’s message: Trump turned up the heat on Wednesday, as he sent out a fundraising email with a very clear message: “IMPEACH. IMPEACH. IMPEACH,” as Trump labeled federal Judge James Boasberg a “Radical Left Judge.”

• What they are saying:

— U.S. Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Troy:

“I gladly support swift impeachment,” Davidson said about a judge who tried to hamstring White House efforts to deport illegal immigrants from Venezuela. “I hope President Trump continues to expose them all.”

— U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Urbana:

“All options are still on the table,” Jordan said in an interview on CNN. “We’re going to dig into this.”

• Impeachment resolutions: So far in 2025, U.S. House Republicans have filed more impeachment resolutions against federal judges than were filed in the last 30 years combined.

• What it takes to impeach a judge: While it takes only a majority in the House to impeach a judge, two-thirds of the Senate — 67 Senators — would be needed to convict and remove a judge from the bench, making any removals very unlikely with the current 53-47 GOP majority.

• Chief Justice’s warning: U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts issued a highly unusual public warning against such GOP actions in Congress:

“For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision. The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose.”

What to know today

• One big takeaway: Most people in the Dayton region for security reasons will not be allowed to attend or even get very close to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly sessions that will be hosted downtown in May.

• Community Gems: The Dayton Daily News Community Gems initiative highlights people who give their time and effort to improve the lives of their neighbors and community. Do you know someone like this in your community? Follow this link to nominate them.

• Big move of the day: Janney Road LLC has sold a former Select Industries Corp. plant in Dayton to METD Dayton Inc., a Detroit automobile manufacturing services company.

• A day in the life: Andrea Chenoweth Wells. She is a soprano opera singer, an intimacy director and assistant professor in the music department at the University of Dayton.

• Dayton Food & Dining: Halal Burgers has announced the location of its third restaurant in the Dayton region.

• Photo of the day: The home at 55-61 Linden Ave. is situated on a plat that was twice-owned by William P. Huffman. The home was built in 1884 by Benjamin Beaver with one side for his wife and the other for his daughter and new son-in-law. It is now owned by Kelley Peters. See more inside this historic home.