Scams - Email, Text, In Person
Email & Text Scams
Email and text message scams are becoming more and more common in today's digital world. Scammers use these platforms to trick people into giving them money or personal information. For example, you might receive an email from a supposed representative of AT&T claiming that your service will be disconnected unless you pay a fee or a text message from a person pretending to be your boss asking you to buy gift cards. Some scammers will even claim that you've won a lottery and just need to pay a small fee to claim your prize. Others might send you an email saying they have taken control of your computer and will reveal your browsing history to everyone you know unless you pay them in Bitcoin. These scams can be very convincing and often prey on people's fears and anxieties. Or it may be a job offer. The list is endless. It's important to be aware of these scams and to know how to protect yourself.
What to Do
Do not click on any links or attachments in the email or text message. Scammers often use these to infect your computer with malware or steal your personal information.
Do not respond to emails or text messages. Scammers may use your response to confirm that your email address or phone number is active and target you with more scams.
Do not give out any personal information, such as your bank account number, social security number, or credit card information.
Do not send money or gift cards. This will only encourage the scammers to continue trying to scam you.
Report the scam to the authorities. You can report email scams to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and text message scams to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Remember that government agencies almost never initiate contact by phone or text.
Report texting scam attempts to your wireless service provider by forwarding unwanted texts to 7726 (or "SPAM").
If you think you're the victim of a texting scam, report it immediately to your local law enforcement agency and notify your wireless service provider and financial institutions where you have accounts.
Inform your contacts/friends/family about the scam, as they may also be targeted.
Be aware of the common scams that are circulating around, this way you will be more prepared to identify them.
Keep your computer and mobile phone updated with the latest security software and patches.
Use anti-virus and anti-malware software to protect your computer from malware.
Trust your instincts. If an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Remember that most legitimate companies will not contact you to ask for your personal information via email or text message.
A friend of mine who had been laid off received a work-from-home job offer with a lucrative salary. He had seen her resume on one of the popular job recruiting sites. She had other interviews but they told her she was either overqualified or didn’t have the skills they needed. Then a job offer came to her through email. It was from someone currently out of the country who didn’t have good cell service most of the time. The job entailed buying toys and gifts for charity organizations. She could start immediately and all he needed was her bank account number so he could deposit her paycheck and the money for the gifts that she would buy. Fortunately, due to bad spelling and incorrect use of the English language, she realized it was not a legitimate job offer and they were just trying to get her banking info.
Sadly I just read a Facebook post from another Realtor that she had a client that was told via email that she had won the Publisher’s Clearinghouse and to click on the link to claim her prize. She gave them her Bank account, social security number as well as her credit card number. When she didn’t get the money she realized they had compromised her account. If this happens, PLEASE
notify your bank immediately,
cancel your credit card & have a new one reissued.
You can also notify the Attorney General in your state as well as the FTC.
You may also want to put a freeze on your credit report from these 3 agencies
Experian 888-397-3742
Equifax (888) 298-0045
Transunion. (888) 909-8872
There are online ways to freeze your credit report, just. Google “credit report freeze” You will need to do a separate freeze on each of the 3 credit bureaus.
In Person
The "Home Repair Scam": In this scam, a person claims to be a contractor or repairperson and offers to do work on the elderly individual's home, but either does shoddy work or charges exorbitant fees.
There may have been a recent weather event and they claim all of your neighbors are using them to repair the damage, take down a tree, or any number of things. Or they may say they are painting homes in your area.
What to Do:
Don’t answer the door if you are not expecting them. This is for safety, talk to them from a closed locked door. If they insist on you opening the door because they can’t hear you, just shake your head NO and walk away. You are not obligated to open your door.
Never pay someone up front for work they claim they will be doing.
Check with your neighbors, and ask the company for references.
Never let someone into your home that you have not prearranged to meet.
If they tell you the price/discount is only good only today, politely decline. Legitimate businesses will give you time to research their work.
Several years ago some of my neighbors thought they were getting a great deal on having the exterior of their homes painted. A group of “painters” were going door to door. The neighbors signed contracts with these “painters” who required half of the money before they started so they could buy the paint. Unfortunately for my neighbors that was the last, they saw of these “painters”. I am not saying there are no legitimate contractors that will be out soliciting for work. These people seemed legitimate, they had contracts ready to sign, phone numbers, and business cards. However, my neighbors soon found out there was no record of the business, the phone number was not in service and my neighbors lost thousands of dollars when their checks were cashed immediately.
It is truly sad that we must be vigilant at all times. In this day and age, scamming seems to have become a career path for many unscrupulous people. Perhaps it is because there are more scammers or just more ways to take our hard-earned money. The term snake oil salesman was used in the latter part of the 19th century and they probably were not the first ones to scam people. While Ronald Regan said we should “trust but verify”, maybe we should start verifying and then trust.
Conclusion on Scams targeting Seniors
Scams targeting seniors are a significant problem. Seniors are often targeted because they may be more trusting, have a nest egg of savings, own their home, and have good credit, making them attractive to scammers. According to the FBI, 92,371 seniors were victims of financial fraud resulting in 1.7 billion dollars in losses, just the reported ones. One in ten people in the U.S. will fall victim to a scam or fraud each year. 58% of scammers use old fashion techniques (phone calls & postal scams).
Most common ways to scam seniors
Through the Mail
On the Computer
On the Phone
On TV and Radio
Email
In Person
In this series, we discussed the most common scams (see above) targeting seniors, and while they are not the only ones affected by scams, they are the most vulnerable and statically stand to lose the most money. We discussed why seniors are targeted and broke each of the most common scams targeting seniors down with examples and things to do/not do. It's important for seniors to be aware of these top scams and to be cautious. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. Seniors should never give out personal information or send money to someone they don't know. I hope you have found this series to be educational and valuable. Thanks for reading.