Phone scams take advantage of vulnerability
As if being cooped in our homes isn’t enough to try our patience, officials have been warning of the increasing occurrence of robocalls and scams.
In a statement last week, one state legislator called the increase in scamming via robocalls during this pandemic “unconscionable.” We couldn’t agree more.
“Robocall scammers are exploiting the current crisis to steal residents’ personal information and money. These scam calls are often based on inaccurate facts and use questions to solicit private information from people,” said state Sen. Andy Dinniman, D- 19th Dist.
“The fact that scam robocalls are continuing and even appear to be increasing during the COVID-19 crisis is unconscionable.”
Dinniman issued the release to announce a legislative proposal which would enact stronger punishments and fines for illegal and scam robocalls during the COVID-19 emergency.
The legislation calls for doubling any fines and punishment currently under Pennsylvania law for such scam operations, and would expire on July 1, 2020, or until such time that the governor’s emergency order is lifted.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has reported that multiple illegal robocall scams have been circulating nationally. One scam pretends to be from the Social Security Administration, one offers fake coronavirus testing to Medicare recipients, and one tries to scare small businesses into buying fake online services, according to Dinniman.
The Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities has also been warning investors of an anticipated surge in fraudulent investment schemes.
“As is so often the case during times of emergency, scammers will be looking to profit from the misfortune of others by targeting investors and capitalizing on concerns related to the securities market,” said Acting Secretary Richard Vague in a recent statement to media. “The narrative of the investment scheme may change, but the underlying scam remains the same.”
The investment scams aim to take advantage both of individuals’ concerns for the medical battlefront against the coronavirus disease COVID-19 and their personal concerns for the volatility of the markets and future of their savings. Scammers claim to be raising capital for companies manufacturing surgical masks and gowns or manufacturing vaccines or other miracle cures. Others promote “safe” investments with “guaranteed returns” including investments tied to gold and other commodities; oil and gas; and real estate; tout “get rich quick” schemes with quickly earned returns to be used for rent, utilities, and other expenses, and target retirees and senior citizens, falsely claiming they can quickly and safely recoup any losses to their retirement portfolios.
Some scams offer fake coronavirus testing to Medicare recipients, and others attempt to scare small businesses into buying fake online services.
The calls take advantage of the facts that citizens are physically separated from family and friends and rely on the phone to maintain contact with people. “There’s an increased need to answer the phone and for many, a potentially greater willingness to trust the caller,” Dinniman said. “These scams prey on the vulnerable and those who already have enough to worry about and need to be stopped.”
U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-6th Dist., discussed the predatory calls during a recent telephone town hall. She specifically reminded people not to fall for callers claiming to offer a vaccine for the coronavirus or an at-home test for COVID-19. Neither exists.
Even appeals from charities should be carefully considered, Houlahan said. Never give out personal information like a Social Security number, she said, to callers claiming to represent nonprofits.
These are trying times, and it is disgusting, albeit predictable, that scam artists would prey on the vulnerabilities of people whose activities and communication are restricted to their homes. Phones and email have never been so important as lifelines to family, friends and the world outside our walls.
The dangers of loneliness and isolation are especially true for the elderly, who are most vulnerable both to the disease we are fighting and to the scammers taking advantage of that fight.
The best advice remains against any caller who you don’t know or who seems suspicious: Just hang up. And then call someone you love.