Beware of ghouls, goblins and gangsters

Scams targeting seniors

“Our magazine company is dedicated to helping young people like me turn our lives around and stay off the streets. Your $75 subscription will help me support my two young babies.”

“Hi, Grandma. Hey, Grandpa. I’m in trouble, but please don’t tell anyone. Please. The cops arrested me and I didn’t do anything. I need $1,000 to post bail. I need you to send me money.”

So goes the clever ruse of con artists intent on scamming money from America’s seniors. While Halloween season zombies and ghouls may be frightfully fun, tricking seniors out of their cash is alarmingly scary. Every year hucksters bilk almost $3 billion from older Americans, hatching increasingly elaborate plans to break into retirement nest eggs.

Criminals who prey on the elderly find the older generation more trusting and gullible, particularly those with cognitive challenges who typically believe the “nice young man” on the phone or on their doorstep. The Federal Bureau of Investigation notes that older Americans are less likely to report a fraud because they don’t realize they’ve been taken advantage of financially or they fear their mental capacity or financial management ability will be in question by relatives. When elders do report a crime, the suspected criminals count on seniors’ aging memory to affect the recollection of incident details.

“It’s maddening to hear of so many criminal schemes that try to take advantage

of our aging loved ones,” said Valerie Cadenhead, Owner of Right at Home of Central Arkansas. “To help circumvent would-be scammers, it’s important to stay engaged with our older relatives and friends and talk to them about common financial scams and ways to be cautious with their finances.”

Cadenhead points out common fraud schemes against seniors, including the following: Internal Revenue Service (IRS) impostor

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration reports at least 1.97 million Americans were targeted in 2016 for an IRS scam involving a swindler calling or showing up in person to threaten arrest if purported overdue taxes were not paid immediately. The crooks demand instant payment using a precise payment method such as a prepaid debit card or wire transfer. In most cases with overdue taxes, the IRS will mail several notice letters to taxpayers and not just call or drop by. The IRS will not ask for payment other than to the U.S. Treasury.

Telemarketing/phone

According to the National Council on Aging, seniors make twice as many purchases over the phone than the national average. With no face-to-face

engagement and no traceable paper trail, fake telemarketing crooks often escape detection. Popular telephone schemes include the “help grandma” jail-time ploy or fake hospitalization; or the caller who immediately asks, “Can you hear me?”—the phone pirate wants to record the person’s voiced “yes” reply to hack their private information in the future. Many companies rely on a voiced “yes” for access to security settings and account changes. With the “Can you hear me?” call, scam prevention experts recommend using another reply phrase such as “I can hear you.”

Internet/email/phishing

Seniors tend to exhibit more limited internet skills and may not be aware of firewalls and built-in virus protection for their computers. Phishing is a cybercrime in which someone posing to be with a legitimate company attempts to lure personal information from unsuspecting individuals. Digital bandits count on people clicking on unsolicited emails and updating or verifying personal or financial information when a legitimate-looking company asks. Fraudulent emails allegedly from popular retailers and restaurants may invite individuals to click on a link, which then installs malware on the person’s computer. Also, many elderly shop online for better prices for their medications, but can be duped by counterfeit prescription drug merchants.

Medical identity theft

Because U.S. citizens and permanent U.S. residents age 65 and older quality for Medicare, fraud artists may pose as Medicare representatives wanting to verify personal information. Some embezzlers will offer phony services at free public health fairs and will photocopy health insurance cards or ask participants to sign blank insurance claim forms.

Funeral and cemetery

Some plunderers will read local obituaries and then show up at funerals pretending that the deceased owes them an outstanding debt. Capitalizing on the emotions of a grieving widow or widower, the scammer will try to extort funds from relatives to settle the bogus debt. Legal authorities warn about

dishonest funeral homes that charge exorbitant prices for unnecessary funeral services or even faux caskets. Some thieves will sell prepaid funeral packages or cemetery plots with no intention of following through on the purchase transaction.

Counterfeit tech support

A growing consumer scam involves callers who pretend to be representatives from well-known technology companies like Microsoft and Apple. The thugs claim viruses have been detected on the person’s computer, and the person is directed to go to a tech support website and follow its instructions. In the process, malware installs on the call recipient’s computer to steal passwords and other personal identity information. The tech bandits then charge fees to remove the fake electronic viruses. Microsoft data shows that tech support cons in 2015 pilfered an average of $454 nearly every 10 seconds from unsuspecting Americans, many of them elderly.

Investment/time-shares

Investment scams like Bernie Madoff’s financial pyramid scheme often target older adults who want to protect their cash for their later years. Other hucksters promise to resell time-shares, but first ask for money to front title fees and administrative costs.

Fake charities, sweepstakes and lotteries

A number of swindlers hit below the financial belt by appealing to people’s desire to help a cause, especially charities that reportedly help cancer patients, military veterans, endangered animals or any number of noble humanitarian projects. Other scams promise impressive cash prizes or exotic vacations as sweepstakes and lottery payouts, but first require paying taxes or a collection fee on the winnings.

Scams aimed at America’s aging population may add a new gimmick here and there, but the bottom line is that the bad guys still want free and fast money. If you’ve been ripped off financially, some criminals will even plot a recovery or reload scam posing as a law enforcement agency or consumer group assigned to help you get your money back — for a fee, of course.

How to help protect seniors from scams

Cadenhead suggests a number of steps to help safeguard seniors from scam bullies:

• Make sure your senior’s phone has caller ID and he or she knows how to screen unsolicited calls. Remind elders to not answer calls from unfamiliar phone numbers.

• Advise older adults to not share personal information with strangers, especially common identifiers such as a mother’s maiden name or birth date.

• Become an authorized person on your senior’s checking account and/ or the second signature on the elder’s checkbook.

• Instruct seniors to never hand over medical ID cards or read off Social Security, Medicare or health insurance numbers to anyone they do not know or trust.

• Direct elders to ask questions about and research any charity or company that asks for a donation or sells products. Charitynavigator.org is a reputable resource for investigating legitimate charities before making a financial contribution.

If a senior friend or relative is a victim of a scam, encourage them to report the incident to local police and talk to their bank or financial institution. The local area’s Adult Protective Services may also provide counsel as well as the government-sponsored Eldercare Locator at 800-677-1116, www. eldercare.gov.