Buying a house is a significant life decision, and the process can feel overwhelming. This week the Idaho Department of Finance is providing resources to help first-time homebuyers in Idaho navigate the journey with confidence.

The Idaho Department of Finance (IDOF) urges Idaho consumers to exercise heightened caution when purchasing cars, recreational vehicles, farm equipment, and other high-dollar items online. IDOF recently received several reports from victims of online purchase scams that risked losing thousands of dollars due to being lured into purchasing from a phony website or fake ads in various online marketplaces.

The Idaho Department of Finance (Department), with the cooperation of Trust and Estate Services Company of Idaho d/b/a TrESCo of Idaho (TrESCo), issued a Consent Order requiring TrESCo to comply with the statutory requirements of the Idaho Trust Institutions Act and no longer engage in unauthorized trust activity in Idaho. TrESCo agreed to either obtain a trust charter from the Department or remove itself as trustee or agent for all accounts that constitute unauthorized trust activity.

The Idaho Department of Finance (IDOF) and Idaho Commission on Aging (ICOA) are announcing the creation of a joint Senior Fraud and Financial Exploitation Prevention Working Group (SFFEP) comprised of financial and senior protection experts to provide recommendations for potential policies, frameworks, and solutions that can help better protect Idaho’s senior community from financial crime.