[UPDATED] (Radio Iowa) – A special investigation by the state auditor’s office has found a former state employee failed to deposit thousands of dollars in fees and taxes and received unauthorized gifts — including ring-side access to an event in Denver. Dawn Chamberlain was a program planner in the Iowa Athletic Commission, which oversees mixed martial arts as well as professional boxing and kickboxing and pro wrestling in Iowa. State Auditor Rob Sand says his staff has identified over 17-thousand dollars in state license fees and taxes that were either not collected or not deposited during Chamberlain’s time in the job.

“The bottom line here is that taxpayers missed out on money that was due to the State of Iowa, where this public employee was instead getting gifts and benefits on the side,” Sand says. “That looks to me to be a pretty clear quid pro quo.” On November 15th of last year, Chamberlain’s agency got a call from someone who said Chamberlain was “taking money under the table” and, after an internal investigation, Chamberlain was fired a month later. “Absolutely an extraordinary tip. We don’t see situations like this in Iowa very often,” Sand said. “This is good evidence of exactly why we ask people to report things to us. If you see something, say something.” Sand says a promoter for an event at Wells Fargo Arena wrote a 43-hundred dollar check to Chamberlain to cover pay for event officials — and Chamberlain deposited it in her own account. Sand says that’s a huge red flag.

“There shouldn’t be anyone working in the state of Iowa who thinks writing a check to a public employee for doing something related to their job is ever acceptable,” Sand says. Auditors found Chamberlain used her Venmo account to pay some event officials and Chamberlain told investigators she paid the rest of the fees in cash. The special investigation says Chamberlain attended sporting events without seeking approval from her supervisors — including a World Boxing Association event in Jefferson where she presented the winner with a championship belt.

“I think this is a clear case of someone who was getting far too into the potential personal benefits of her job and ignoring her personal obligations to be a fair and impartial employee the who was serving taxpayers,” Sand says. The report from the auditor’s office indicates Chamberlain received at least 17-hundred dollars in unauthorized gifts for trips she took to events in Colorado and Michigan.

According to the report, Chamberlain told investigators everyone else in the office accepts insane amounts of gifts. The state auditor’s report indicates officials in the agency are not aware of any other employee accepting gifts.

(Omaha, NE) – Young adults aged 18-24 have been the hardest hit by scams and have reported a higher median dollar loss than any other age group for the first time since the BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust (BBB Institute), the International Association of Better Business Bureaus’ educational foundation, began publishing research. Targeting our youth: How scams are impacting ages 18-24 highlights scam types, tactics, and trends based on data submitted to BBB Scam Tracker between January 1, 2022, and June 24, 2023. The 18-24 demographic made up 6.1% of the overall reports during the time period, the smallest percentage of all age groups, but had a much higher median dollar loss ($200).

Riskiest scams

Employment scams continue to be the riskiest scams for ages 18-24, making up almost 30% of scams reported by this age group to BBB Scam Tracker. This scam type had the highest median dollar loss of all scam types reported by this age group ($1,819).

Riskiest scams for 18-24-year-olds:

1. Employment
2. Online purchase
3. Cryptocurrency
4. Rental
5. Investment
6. Fake check/money order
7. Phishing
8. Romance
9. Advance fee loan
10. Credit repair/debt relief

About 19% of employment scams from this age group mentioned schemes involving inspecting or reshipping packages. Online purchase scams made up 29.1 percent of all reports submitted by 18-24-year-olds, with 81.4% reporting a monetary loss.

Contact method

Ages 18-24 were more likely to report being targeted by text message or internet messaging than other age groups. The contact methods with the highest likelihood of a monetary loss (susceptibility) included website and social media. The contact methods with the highest reported median dollar loss were phone call, text message, and in person.

This group reported a higher percentage of scams targeting them on Instagram and X (Twitter) than other age groups.

Payment method

Ages 18-24 reported a higher percentage of scams via online payment system and bank account debit. The payment methods for this age group with the highest median dollar loss were wire transfer ($2,150), check ($1,500), and cryptocurrency ($1,200).

Tips to Avoid

• If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Whether it’s a great job or a really low price, take time to do your research.
• If somebody pressures you to act quickly, it’s a red flag. Extract yourself from the situation and make sure it isn’t a scam.
• Never click on links in unsolicited emails or texts. Scammers pretend to be well-known organizations you trust. Go directly to your account or their official website to ensure the inquiry is real.

For more information

To report a scam, go to BBB Scam Tracker. Read the full report here.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Scammers posing as panhandlers raising money for a child’s funeral that have been seen nationwide have now been spotted in Eastern Iowa. The panhandlers have been seen at locations in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. KCRG-TV says the group is holding the same signs seen in cities across the country featuring the picture of a boy who allegedly died and asking for donations to cover funeral expenses. An investigation by the station’s sister station in South Carolina found the funeral isn’t real and the signs are a scam.

Panhandlers with a scam funeral sign (Photo by WSMV in Nashville, TN)

The picture is actually of a chess player from Peru. The scammers have also been reported in Missouri, Ohio and Tennessee.