Greg's Corner

Tagged: elder scam Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

• 

  Geebo 8:00 am on August 13, 2024 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: elder scam, gold bars ( 9 ), impersonation scam ( 144 ), Scams ( 1,354 ), seniors ( 9 )   

  Gold bar scams are still on the rise 

  

  By Greg Collier

  The golden years, a time meant for relaxation and enjoyment, are being overshadowed by a growing and sinister threat in the Washington D.C. area, gold bar scams.

  These scams often start with something as innocuous as a pop-up ad online or a fraudulent phone call. Posing as law enforcement officers, scammers convince their victims to convert their life savings into gold bars, supposedly for ‘safekeeping’. Once the gold is handed over, it disappears, leaving victims with shattered finances and a sense of betrayal.

  The scale of the scam in the D.C. area alone is alarming, with victims ranging in age from 61 to 94. Some have lost their entire life savings, with individual losses reaching into the millions. The criminals behind these scams are sophisticated, preying on the trust and sensibilities of their targets, making them believe they are dealing with legitimate federal agents.

  This problem isn’t confined to one area. Across the nation, similar scams have been reported, with a significant number of complaints related to couriers collecting gold bars from unsuspecting victims. The money, once handed over, is often laundered and sent overseas, making recovery nearly impossible and leaving victims and their families to deal with the consequences.

  The emotional and financial toll on the victims and their families is profound. The sense of security and trust that should define the golden years is being eroded by these heartless schemes. Many victims are left feeling isolated and vulnerable, questioning their judgment and struggling with the loss of their financial stability.

  To protect against these scams, it’s crucial to be cautious. Recognizing that legitimate federal agents will never ask for money in the form of gold bars is key. It’s also important to be wary of unfamiliar phone calls or online ads that could be the first step in a scam. Sharing this information with elderly loved ones and encouraging open communication about any suspicious contacts can help prevent these devastating losses.

   

  Leave a ReplyCancel reply
• 

  Geebo 8:00 am on September 14, 2023 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: elder fraud ( 5 ), elder scam, elderly ( 12 ), Scams ( 1,354 )   

  Protecting the elderly from scams 

  

  By Greg Collier

  While young people are just as susceptible to scams, the elderly have long been a target of scammers. Recently, the Better Business Bureau released a list of signs to look out for that could indicate an elderly loved one is bing scammed.

  Unsolicited Mail or Emails: Scammers often send unsolicited mail or emails promising prizes, lottery winnings, or other offers that require upfront payments or personal information.

  Sudden Financial Changes: If your elderly relative experiences sudden financial changes, such as large withdrawals or transfers of money, unpaid bills, missing funds, or payments to unfamiliar companies, it could be a red flag.

  Changes in Behavior: Look for changes in behavior, such as increased anxiety, withdrawal from social activities, or secrecy about financial matters. If they’re being secretive about phone calls, that could be an indicator that a scammer has already made inroads to their finances.

  Loss of Assets: If your relative unexpectedly sells valuable possessions, real estate, or investments without a clear reason, it could be a sign of financial exploitation. Another indicator could be that your loved one is going without necessities such as food or utilities.

  If your loved one has already fallen victim to a scammer, there are steps you can take to help them.

  First, you should have an open and non-judgmental conversation with your relative about your concerns. Listen to their side of the story. Keep records of any suspicious communications, transactions, or individuals involved. Lastly, report the scam to authorities.

  However, the best thing you can do for them is to educate them on common scams and strategies to protect themselves from future scams.

  Remember, it’s essential to maintain your elderly loved one’s dignity and autonomy while helping them stay safe from scams. Encourage them to stay vigilant and seek support from trusted friends and family members.

  You can find more tips about scams and the elderly at this link.

   
• 

  Geebo 8:01 am on June 26, 2023 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: advance fee scam ( 44 ), elder scam, Scams ( 1,354 ), sweepstakes ( 25 )   

  Elderly man loses $800K to in a week to scammers 

  

  By Greg Collier

  This story is as heartbreaking as it is infuriating. An elderly man from Washington sold his home for $800,000 and planned to use the money for his retirement. Within a week, he was essentially homeless.

  When the movers showed up at his home, he couldn’t afford to pay them. He called his daughter, who lives in Minneapolis. The man kept telling his daughter everything will be fine soon, but wouldn’t elaborate. Eventually, she was able to coax out of her father he thought he had won a sweepstakes.

  The man had fallen victim to the advance fee scam. This is when scammers will tell the victim they’ve won something, but they need to make a payment in order to claim their prize. Typically, the scammers will say the money the victim is paying is for taxes or processing fees.

  In this man’s case, the scammers kept asking for cashier’s checks in the amount of $50,000 each before they took all of his savings. They called and texted him every day for a week before they completely drained him of all his money.

  Once again, the bank is being called into question for not allegedly seeing the red flags of a man who withdrew $200,000 in one day from two separate branches of the same bank. Scammers of all types will often instruct their victims to use separate bank branches to try to throw off suspicion from the banks.

  There could be a light at the end of the tunnel for the victim of this story. Both the media and the FBI are looking into the man’s case and seem to have some promising leads. However, in the majority of cases, victims never see their money again.

  For those of us with elderly relatives, we want to try to protect them from cruel scams like this, but we can’t be there 24-7 for them. The best way to help them is to remind them of scams like this. You can let them know it’s illegal for anyone to ask for money for a sweepstakes prize. You can also show them this blog post or any number of news articles that detail this scam.

  No one’s parents or grandparents should have to endure this kind of financial torment.

   
• 

  Geebo 8:00 am on October 31, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: elder fraud ( 5 ), elder scam, elderly ( 12 ), identity theft ( 105 ), medicare ( 17 ), open enrollment ( 5 ), Scams ( 1,354 ), seniors ( 9 )   

  It’s the season for more scams against seniors 

  

  By Greg Collier

  Senior citizens are often the targets of scams because of a perceived unfamiliarity with technology. This is a recurring theme throughout the year. However, until December 7th, seniors will be the target of even more scams. That’s because now is the open enrollment period for Medicare. Until December 7th, Medicare recipients will be able to decide if they want to stay with their current Medicare coverage or switch to a new insurer. Unfortunately, open enrollment is also open season for Medicare scammers.

  The most prevalent scam seniors will have to look out for are identity theft schemes. Scammers will call their senior victims, posing as either Medicare or some other insurer. The scammers will try to get their victims to give them their personal information by asking the victim to verify their identity. In some instances, scammers will try to get the victim’s personal information by promising them better benefits at a lower cost.

  It’s not just identity theft the scammers are after, either. Medicare fraud has been a growing problem for years. Medicare scammers could use their victim’s Medicare information to file for fraudulent benefits. Not only does this make Medicare more expensive, but could also limit a recipient’s benefits in the future.

  Please keep in mind that Medicare or some other insurer is probably not calling you. Even if the number shows up on your phone as Medicare, the odds are the call isn’t from them. Phone numbers can be easily spoofed to make the call appear like it’s coming from Medicare.

  In the majority of cases, if you feel the need to change your coverage, you need to call Medicare or your insurer. If someone calls you claiming to be from Medicare during open enrollment, you can hang up the call. You are not required to take any calls that appear to be from Medicare. Then call Medicare or your insurer from the number on the back of your insurance card.

  And always remember to never give your Medicare or insurance ID number to any strangers over the phone.

   
• 

  Geebo 8:00 am on July 20, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: elder scam, elderly ( 12 ), grandparent scam ( 69 ), impersonation scam ( 144 ), Scams ( 1,354 )   

  Does the grandparent scam follow a script? 

  

  By Greg Collier

  The grandparent scam is one of the most frequently discussed scams on this blog. Unfortunately, we have to keep discussing it because the scam continues to find victims. There’s not a week that goes by when we don’t see a new article about another elderly person being taken for thousands of dollars by these scammers. Yet, the scam continues to perpetuate. It’s gotten to the point where it seems like grandparent scammers are all reading from the same script.

  For example, an elderly woman in a Chicago suburb was recently taken for $16,000 in a grandparent scam. She received a phone call from someone claiming to be her grandson. During that call, a man claiming to be her grandson’s attorney got on the phone. The attorney told the woman that her grandson had caused a car crash which resulted in a pregnant woman losing her baby.

  The attorney said that the woman’s grandson would need $16,000 to be released from jail. The woman was then instructed that a courier would come by her home to pick up the money. She was also told that a judge placed a gag order on the proceedings, so she wasn’t allowed to tell anyone else what was going on with her grandson.

  After the woman gave the cash to the supposed courier, the attorney called her again the next day. This time, he was asking for $70,000 since her grandson was being sued. The woman spoke with a family member, who told her that she was being scammed. Police tried contacting the attorney, but at this point, the attorney’s phone number was no longer answering calls.

  If there was a textbook definition of the grandparent scam, this would be it. Scammers find an elderly victim because there’s usually a good chance they have grandchildren. Then the fake grandchild claims to be in trouble, but not to the extent where the victim would be required to call the rest of the family.

  In addition to there being a car accident, scammers add extra drama to the story to put the victim in an emotionally charged state. A pregnant woman losing her baby is a favorite among scammers to achieve that.

  Then comes the phony gag order. This is the scammer’s way of trying to make sure the victim doesn’t talk to any other family members. Previously, the phony grandchildren would ask the victim not to tell anyone else in the family out of embarrassment. But a gag order sounds more legally binding and has a better chance of getting the victim to keep quiet. In actual legal proceedings, gag orders do not work that way. Gag orders are usually issued in very high-profile cases to prevent participants from speaking to the media.

  As far as couriers go, attorneys, bail bondsmen, and police, never send couriers to collect any kind of bail or bond money. This money has to be paid to the court or a bail bondsman in person. They do not employ couriers to go to homes to pick up bail money.

  Lastly, if someone gives a scammer money once, the scammer will try to take more money from the same victim.

  As always with scams like this, if someone claims a loved one of yours is in legal trouble, you can hang up on that call and contact the person who’s supposedly in trouble. Only scammers will try to pressure you into staying on the phone.

  If you have a loved one who you believe may be susceptible to this scam, please share this story with them or any of the many news articles about the grandparent scam.

   
• 

  Geebo 8:00 am on March 15, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: elder fraud ( 5 ), elder scam, gangs, grandparent scam ( 69 ), Scams ( 1,354 )   

  Are gangs showing up at your grandparents’ home? 

  

  By Greg Collier

  The grandparent scam has been going on all over the country for a while now. The scam itself has evolved so many times, it seems like it’s taken on a life of its own. The latest evolution of the scam will probably cause even more concern than its past iterations.

  The grandparent scam is named that way because it largely targets the elderly, and the scammers pose as the victim’s grandchild. The bogus grandchild will claim they’re in jail or some other kind of legal trouble and need money, such as bail or legal fees. These scams typically cost their victims thousands of dollars.

  When these scams first started, everything was done over the phone. The scammers would have their victims send money either through gift cards, money transfers, or even cash in the mail. However, as more people became aware of the scam, the scammers started changing their tactics. Instead of trying to get payment over the phone, the scammers would send unwitting Uber drivers to collect cash from the victims. Then the scammers started getting more brazen and would show up at their victims’ homes themselves, posing as couriers.

  If these situations weren’t alarming enough, a report out of the Pacific Northwest states that it’s not just overseas scammers that are getting in on stealing from the elderly. According to the AARP, they’ve started seeing instances of street gangs engaging in the grandparent scam. It’s believed that if caught, gang members will serve less jail time for the grandparent scam than they would if they were committing more violent and illicit crimes associated with gangs. This is potentially disheartening because most scammers will try to get as much out of their victims as possible. With gangs, this could lead to robberies or home invasions.

  The best prevention for avoiding this scam is to be forewarned. If you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be a loved one who’s been arrested, hang up and verify their actual location. If you can’t reach them, contact someone in your family who would know where they are. Often in these scams, the scammer will try to get the victim not to tell anyone else, but that never helps anyone. Also, try not to give out any personal information while on the phone with potential scammers. For example, if the callers says ‘Grandma?’, don’t use any of your grandchildren’s names in response.

  As always, we ask that if you have an elderly relative or neighbor who may be vulnerable to this scam, we ask that you share this post or the article we linked to about this scam.

   
• 

  Geebo 8:00 am on July 6, 2021 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: elder scam, grandparent scam ( 69 ), new york ( 16 ), Scams ( 1,354 ), tech support scam ( 49 )   

  When scammers come back for more 

  

  By Greg Collier

  There are many truths when it comes to scammers. For this particular story, we’re going to be focusing on two. The first is that scammers tend to target the elderly when it comes to many scams. The scammers feel that elderly individuals are not tech-savvy enough to see through many of their scams. That and the fact that many seniors live alone and don’t have anyone in their home to warn them that whatever it is, it might be a scam. The second truth is that once someone has fallen victim to a scam, there’s a good chance the scammers will try to victimize them again.

  Recently, a man from Upstate New York, had fallen victim to an elder scam. The report doesn’t say which scam he fell for, but if we had to hazard a guess, it was probably the grandparent scam, or maybe the tech support scam. Either way, the man almost assuredly lost a substantial amount of money. Then he received another phone call. This mystery caller said he knew who initially scammed the man. All the man had to do was pay the caller $6000 and the caller would hand over the information. As they say, fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. The man contacted local police, who arranged a meeting with the caller and arrested him. Again, while the report doesn’t go into further detail, it’s a safe bet that this man allegedly had something to do with the initial scam.

  There is no shame in admitting you’ve been a victim of a scam. It happens to almost everybody at one time or another. They can range for paying someone $20 to cut your lawn, and they never come back, or it can result in major financial loss. Either way, if you do lose money in a scam, it will help others if you come forward to police. This way, police can be on the lookout for the scam and arrest any possible con artists.