Photo (l to r): Recipients of the 2021 Consumer Protection Hero Awards: Randy Meier, Carla Houston, Attorney General Tom Miller and Scott Kilmer. Not present, Jeanne Scheer.
An Exira man is one of four honored by Iowa Attorney General, Tom Miller, as a Consumer Protection Hero. These men and women were instrumental in stopping abuse and fraud against their fellow community members. “Today we honored these exemplary citizens for the dedication and service to those in their communities who could have been the target of fraudsters,” Miller said in a special ceremony. “These individuals have gone above and beyond to protect their fellow citizens.” Scott Kilmer is a Yellow Cab driver in the Des Moines area, but is from Exira. He was driving a customer to a bank in West Des Moines in early 2020 when it became apparent something wasn’t quite right. The 83-year-old woman was going to the bank to withdraw $38,000 from her account to transfer to someone she didn’t’ know. She told Kilmer she received a call from a man claiming to be from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) who said a family member would be jailed if their bill was not paid. Kilmer knew this was more than likely a scam and asked a bank representative to talk with the woman. They were able to convince her she was being scammed and she avoided the loss. Kilmer then took it a step further and contacted the Attorney General’s Office about the scam attempt. The Consumer Protection Hero award was created to shine a spotlight on the work everyday citizens, like Kilmer, do in their communities. Whether these individuals use their knowledge of scams to educate the public or recognize when others may be the target of scams or financial exploitation, they are heroes in the eyes of the AG’s Consumer Protection Division. Nominations for the 2022 Consumer Protection Hero Awards are now being accepted and more information can be found below.
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Nominations for 2022 Consumer Protection Heroes Awards: https://www.iowaattorneygeneral.gov/for-consumers/consumer-protection-hero-awards?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
