Written by Officer Mitch Harkema who is employed by the City of Walker Police Department and works out of their Community Resource Office
We’ve only just gotten into the new year, and already scammers are trying to trick people into sending checks and providing financial or personal information. Overall, scammers are just abusing the kind-hearted nature of some individuals. Unfortunately, many of these individuals fall into the category of “senior citizens.” Many scammers rely on technology to dupe their victims, something they know many seniors may have a hard time using. Gone (for the most part) are the days of the door to door vacuum sale swindles and here to stay are scams that involve emails, text messages, phone calls, and social media. Read on for examples of some common scamming methods that targeted seniors in 2018, which are likely the ones that scammers will continue to find success with in 2019.
First, there is the tried and true FAKE BILL/INVOICE SCAM
As more and more individuals turn to paying bills on line or through auto-pay, scammers are finding this scam to be especially fruitful. It does not take a rocket scientist to copy and paste a company logo onto a professional looking and well written email. It’s quite simple, and scammers like simple. They acquire (through various means) a list of email addresses, and then draft an email that looks to be from a well-known company such as Consumer’s Energy or DTE. To continue with the energy company example, the email may state something to the effect of; “There was an error processing your payment. Please call (enter fake phone number here) to rectify the situation and prevent your services from being shut off.” These are especially common during the winter months, because scammers know no one wants their heat turned off during a cold Michigan winter, and people are more likely to call the number. Once you call, they may have you on the hook. They will likely answer the phone and pretend to be a customer service representative from the energy company. They will ask you a series of questions, to sound official. What they are doing is getting you to provide them with needed information. The call usually ends with the scammer asking for a credit card number to rectify the “payment issue.” Once they have that personal and financial information, they can use it to buy whatever they want on your dime. Keep in mind these emails can pose as official emails from any well-known company, or even pose as your health care provider. If you receive an email and are not quite sure if it is real, find the known and trusted phone number for the company, call it, and speak to a real employee. It may take a bit of time and cause you to be placed on hold or bounced through a phone tree, but it is the best way to be sure you are not responding to a fraudulent email. Scammers also use text messages or phone calls in a similar fashion to trick people into paying for what they believe is a legitimate service. The best advice when receiving scam phone calls or texts is to block the number, and then delete it (if you have a cell phone).
Another common scam is the MEDICAL ALERT/DEVICE SCAM.
This is a telemarketing scam that promises “free” medical services or devices. Due to the ailments that many seniors face as they age, scammers bombard the market with these scam calls. Many times, the scammer will imply that insurance or Medicare has already paid for the device, or even that a family member has offered payment for the service. Seniors are then asked for personal and financial information to verify their identity to receive the free products, and then as a result often incur a reoccurring monthly charge. The system or device obviously never arrives, and often when the number is called back, victims of the scam find it to be disconnected. This can make reimbursement troublesome. An easy rule of thumb is to be wary of ANY free offers you may receive and discuss the offer with a trusted friend or family member, so another set of eyes can look at it to help you decide if it may be a scam.
As many seniors begin to dabble in social media, especially Facebook, to keep up with family members and friends, scammers have also begun to use Facebook as a means of swindling seniors out of their money.
They use Facebook in various ways, but the most common is to monitor your personal Facebook page. Seniors tend to fill out, very thoroughly, the “about me” section of their social media profile, complete with addresses and phone numbers. Remember that when doing this, less is often better in this regard. The people you want to connect with online will still find you, and you will not be adding the information scammers need to use as bait. There is also a section on Facebook where you can add the names of all your family members. If you do this, it is easy for scammers to monitor not only yours, but your family’s pages as well. In doing this, they may learn that your grandson, let’s call him Jimmy, is going to Florida for Spring Break. Then, when Spring Break rolls around, you may get a Facebook message, posing as Jimmy, requesting money. The need for money could be due to anything. It may be Jimmy simply did not plan well enough, or maybe Jimmy got thrown in jail and needs bail. Whatever it is, “Jimmy” will likely request you not say anything to his parents and ask that you secretly wire him some cash. If you get a message like this, before you provide any grandparent heroics, call a family member to ensure the story is true. If it is not, delete the message, and consider being a bit more private on social media.
There are so many scams that circulate off and on throughout the year, we could write several more pages about what to watch for. Many people think they have great common sense, and that they could never be tricked by a scammer. But even those who think that have become victims. Some things to keep in mind:
You should never be afraid to report a scam, even if you already fell for it. Coming forward and sharing your experience could prevent someone else from becoming a victim. If you spot a scam, report it online at ftc.gov/complaint. You can also report it to your local police department.
- Never respond to unknown phone numbers or emails. Do not provide personal or financial information to anyone unless you are 100% sure it is going to a trusted source.
- If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Watch out for pop up scams when online, trying to get you to click a link to win a free prize. These are often links to malware, that infect your computer and may provide scammers a window into your personal information.
- If any communication requests you pay with gift cards, this is almost always a scam.
