Scam artists zero in on older victims

Police chief offers advice on spotting and avoiding predatory schemes

Ruidoso Police Chief Darren Hooker led the Creative Aging Advisory Committee through a frightening gallery of scams, cheats and crimes aimed at the elderly, proving for anyone who doubted it that getting old is not for the faint of heart. “There’s all this stuff out there that’s targeting you guys,” Hooker told the group during a presentation at its monthly meeting.

The chief said predators make certain assumptions about people at or approaching retirement age that make them look like attractive targets for all sorts of swindles.

Senior citizens are considered likely to be less familiar with the Internet and other technology, more trusting and gullible, likely to have more cash on hand in retirement savings and bank accounts, less likely to report a crime, and more vulnerable to pressure tactics, Hooker said. Schemes commonly seen by local police include: Tax scams in which a caller says the targeted victims owes money on last year’s taxes and must make a credit card payment immediately to avoid arrest by officers who are already on the way with a warrant. Contest scams in which a caller says the target has won an enormous prize but needs to pay “handling” or other fees before it can be collected. Home repair scams in which the target is given an attractive price for a project but is persuaded to pay in advance, after which the contractor delivers shoddy or incomplete work or never shows up at all. Solicitations for charities you’ve never heard of. Requests for money from someone who claims to be a grandchild in distress or other relative you don’t recall having.

Investment “opportunities” that turn out to be opportunities for the fake financial adviser and not for the victim.

Door-to-door solicitors who pretend to offer attractive deals but are really only interested in collecting an advance payment, or, even worse, scoping out homes for a possible break-in or other crime later.

Low-cost health plan offers that turn out to come from non-existent providers.

Online major-purchase merchandise at prices that seem too good to be true, and are.

Hooker offered some practical advice for spotting predatory schemes before any damage is done:

Don’t answer calls from numbers you don’t recognize and block those numbers after you hang up. If you do answer a “boiler room” call, learn to spot the pauses, clicks and fake friendliness and hang up immediately.

If a stranger offers a deal that seems incredibly good, assume it’s bogus. If you’re still tempted, demand written guarantees and local references.

Never agree to pay anybody under pressure who claims to be a tax official or law enforcement officer. Real authorities do not ever make such demands over the phone.

Be suspicious of anyone who calls with a proposition and speaks with a foreign accent, since phone scams often originate offshore.

Ignore emails from a source you don’t trust that ask you to provide personal financial or health information.

If you live alone and tend to keep to yourself, recognize that this is one of the reasons you might have been targeted and find somebody you can call for advice or experience on something you’re tempted to agree to.

Don’t carry Social Security or Medicare cards except on doctor visits or other occasions when you need them. Consider getting credit cards than can be easily “turned off” via software except when you need them.

Hooker told his audience that the most insidious frauds sometimes come from those who seem most trustworthy. Financial advisers or even beloved relatives, he said, may abuse the trust given them in powers of attorney or other contracts to steal from those they’re supposed to be caring for.

“Society today is totally different from what it was 40 years ago,” the chief said.