SCAM SESSION
State officials meet with older residents to talk about avoiding scams
POTTSTOWN » Millions of older Americans are affected by scams and fraud across the country.
On Tuesday, older residents in the Pottstown area got the chance to meet with state officials to discuss their concerns about scams and learn about ways to prevent them. The meeting was held at the Tri-County Active Adult Center on Moser Road and featured three cabinet secretaries from the Wolf administration who talked about what they are doing to help older Pennsylvanians avoid being the victim of these frequent scams and who to contact if they have already been a victim.
“There are many types of financial fraud scams that target seniors,” said Secretary of Aging Teresa Osborne. “The Wolf Administration recognizes that financial fraud education is critical. Protection means involvement, and in order to prevent older Pennsylvanians from becoming victims of financial fraud, we must educate those around us on what these scams are, how they work and where to call for help.”
Osborne was joined by Secretary of Banking and Securities Robin L. Wiessmann and Revenue Secretary Dan Hassell.
Weissmann described one of the most common types of
scams affecting older Americans, often referred to as the grandparent scam. The scam involves an older individual receiving a phone call in which the caller claims to be the person’s grandchild. They then say they are in some sort of dire straits and that they need money immediately.
“They will insist that the grandparent’s action be taken right now, far too swiftly to allow time for any of us to think through something like this,” explained Wiessman. “They hit the panic button, our adrenaline response kicks in and that’s the instinct we have to take hold of.”
After giving examples of such scams, Wiessman advised those in attendance to take some cautionary steps:
• Call them back. In many cases, Wiessman said, they will give you a number to call that will have no one on the other end or they’ll hang up.
• Ask personal family questions of the caller that could potentially identify them as a scam artist, such as where they went to school or about a family pet.
• Don’t send money right away.
• Check information on social media to make sure you’re not giving up any identifying information.
Secretary Hassell followed up with a discussion on steps the Department of Revenue has taken to strengthen the systems it uses to detect fraudulent tax returns and refunds. To help with that effort, the department also invited staff from the departments of Aging and Banking and Securities to speak at its annual series of fall tax seminars, where tax professionals from throughout Pennsylvania learn about new scams and measures for protecting themselves and their clients.
Hassell also spoke to attendees about a new scam that involves cyber criminals stealing client data from tax professionals and filing fraudulent tax returns in the name of identity theft victims. In what Hassell described as a “new twist on an old scam,” scammers will direct the refunds to the taxpayers’ real bank accounts through direct deposit instead of routing them to a separate account. The criminals then use threatening phone calls to trick taxpayers into returning the funds to the criminals.
To summarize the best approach to avoiding these incidents, Hassell said, “If any phone call or email appears suspicious, take a moment and think through the situation. If something doesn’t feel quite right, follow your first instinct and don’t take any immediate action. The tax filing season is always a time when cyber criminals are devising news scams to steal from hard-working Pennsylvanians. Everyone needs to be aware of these schemes so that they can protect themselves.”
After Hassell’s remarks, attendees had the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about how to protect themselves.
Anyone can contact the Department of Banking and Securities at 1-800-PABANKS or 1-800-600-0007 to ask questions about financial transactions, companies or products. Members of the public are also invited to connect with the department through Facebook and Twitter, or by subscribing to the department’s newsletter.
If you are a victim of identity theft or discover a fraudulent Pennsylvania personal income tax return was filed using your identity, contact the Department of Revenue’s Fraud Investigation Unit at 717772-9297 or RA-RVPITFRAUD@pa.gov.
Older area residents can also find helpful information about scams on the TriCounty Active Adult Center’s website at tricountyaac.org.