Help senior family members avoid scams
For a lot of criminals, the phone isn’t just a means of communication; it’s a weapon to target the most vulnerable among us, the elderly.
Phone scams run from the general, where you pick up the phone and an air horn blares, announcing you won a cruise, to the specific, where a person pretending to be a government official or a relative demands money.
“I have three neighbors within a mile of my house that (have) been scammed," said Broome County Sheriff Dave Harder. "One was someone pretending to be a grandson in jail in need of bail money, but the bank intercepted it. Another one was a neighbor (who) was told he was winning all these prizes, so he sends money but gets nothing for it. And the third one was someone pretending to be the IRS threatening arrest if payment is not made immediately,”
While taking advantage of the most helpless is reprehensible to most people, for scammers, it’s a day’s work.
“I believe part of what makes the elderly a target is that fraudsters think older people have money and perhaps are more naïve than someone younger, or possibly even with Alzheimer’s or dementia or socially isolated, making them easier to victimize,” said Laura Palmer, associate state director for AARP New York.
Palmer said one imposter scam targeted 11,000 households in one year, and that 100,000 New Yorkers filed fraud or other complaints regarding phone scams in 2014.
“The Federal Trade Commission Consumer Sentinel Network Databook says the total amount of money scammed from people in one year was over $83 million, and that the average amount paid per victim was $2,139,” Palmer said.
Palmer added 13 percent of all frauds reported in New York are phone related.
“Well, I tell you, I think we have to be on our toes all the time; that’s just the way of the world," said Patty Baroody, director of the Steuben County Office of the Aging. "I think as a group, elders are trusting, and it’s a great quality to have, except in this case.”
Baroody said scammers usually make as many calls as possible while hoping to find the most vulnerable people possible.
“I think they take a chance that they get lucky and get someone with dementia or Alzheimer’s," she said. "I don’t know how they do it, but they are a lot smarter, and crueler, than me."
Examples of scams
Specific scams gaining traction in the area include impostors pretending to be with the IRS, saying back taxes are owed and if payment isn’t immediately received, an arrest will be made.
“The IRS never calls to demand payment; they send a letter," Palmer said. "But it’s scary getting threatened, so people fall victim to this.”
Another scam involves an elderly person answering the phone to hear a young person say something akin to “Grandma? I am in trouble.”
If the person who was called responds, “Billy, is that you?” the scammer now has a name to work with. They then pretend to be “Billy" and claim to have been arrested and in need of bail money.
“I think grandparents want to help, and families are so complex that it does get people agitated and worked up, making it an effective scam,” Baroody said.
Yet another in the litany of scams in Southern Tier involves someone claiming to be a computer company representative asking for access to your computer because of a virus.
“Those kind of companies don’t call unsolicited asking for access," Palmer said. "But people are scared about getting a virus, and it has given free rein to scamsters.”
Targeting the elderly
While arming people with information to fight scams is important, part of the reason fraudsters target the elderly is they are susceptible to repeat abuse.
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“They prey on these people over and over and over," Harder said. "We had one case where an older guy said he was going to get a million dollars, and he thought he was going to get the million. No one ever showed up with the million, so he called them back up; they said, 'Send us $500 so we can take you off our calling list,' and he sent it.”
The scams can be frightening to loved ones of the elderly, who repeatedly fall victim to them because of their mental or social situation.
“It’s a tough thing to want to protect older loved ones," Harder said. "Sometimes, kids have to take over power of attorney and give parents an allowance to protect them. Another thing is to have mail changed, so that all the mail goes through the kids, and they make sure the legitimate stuff makes it though but the fraud stuff can get filtered out.”
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Adult children also can make sure their older family members' phone numbers are unlisted.
“It’s important that loved ones help the elderly avoid these scams, because sometimes elders can’t," Baroody said. "And that can be hard with families flung out; neighbors used to help each other, now don’t know the names.”
Smelling a scam
While scammers are constantly coming up with new schemes, Harder said there are always a few things for which to watch.
"If something is free, you don’t have to spend money to get it," he said. "If they want money through Western Union or through the mail to outside the United States, the answer is no."
Palmer added she is nervous another scam is about to gain traction in the Southern Tier, consisting of people going door-to-door, claiming to be inspectors or contractors, and demanding money up front for some reason.
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“And as the weather warms up, a lot of people are going to go out and start running these scams, saying you need your driveway repaired or work to the house done,” Palmer said.
Another cause for concern when it comes to scams targeting the elderly is that often, loved ones, financial institutions and police don’t find out until it is too late.
“We need to be more cognizant of this and ask a bank if it is real, or the Better Business Bureau," Harder said. "Call us, and we’ll tell you if we think it is a scam or not. But many don’t; they think they know better, and they end up losing their life savings because of it.”
Think it's a scam?
The Ithaca Police Department also recommends calling the police if you receive a phone call you believe to be scam.
You can also contact the AARP Fraud Watch Network at 877-908-3360.
The New York Attorney General’s Consumer Frauds and Protection Helpline can be reached at 800-771-7755.