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50 Shades of Gray – and Scams

By Gail Glockhoff-Long
GolderCare Solutions
Benefits Advocate

Do you have one of those friends who lives in a black and white world? They tell the truth so therefore everyone tells the truth. They read it in the newspaper/on the internet – so therefore it is true. You can rely on them because if they were told to do something, they do it.  Unfortunately, black and white people are perfect targets for scammers.  They tend to not question what they are being told.  Scammers work in the gray area. They feed on the gray field of emotions of happiness or fear. They tell you just enough to stir emotions so you react without thinking. You react before you take time to think through the gray to realize something is not right.

Let’s look at some examples.

Arrested – you get the call.  “Grandma, this is Johnny. I was in a car accident in Davenport and they took me to jail.  I need $5000 for bail. Don’t tell mom and dad.  And they said the fastest way to pay the bail was to transfer money to bitcoin.”  What grandparent wouldn’t rush to help. The scammer is feeding on your fear.

But stop and think about the gray. He did not tell you WHY he was arrested – being in an accident is not against the law. He did not tell you WHAT jail – City of Davenport or Scott County?  I guarantee there is NO police agency that is going to ask you to pay bail by transferring money into bitcoin. This is a scam. The instant you transfer funds into bitcoin they will be gone and you will be out that money.  The reason scammers love bitcoin is that bitcoin is untraceable.

Microsoft or Apple call – I have gotten this one personally several times. They tell you they detected a problem on your computer and you are in danger of losing all the information on your computer. Oh my gosh – my pictures and records for all my groups? That would be terrible.  They then tell you to go to this link they give you and they will remotely fix the computer for you. Again, they are playing on your fear.

But stop and think – how are they monitoring my computer? If they are monitoring it, they would have been able to fix it without me going to their link. Their goal is for you to go to their link and they then have access to your computer. If you do any on-line banking, they can then wipe out that bank account. Or they may harvest enough information to open a new credit card in your name and run up charges. You would be totally unaware until your credit is ruined and the credit card company is after you to pay the bill for a card you knew nothing about.

IRS call – “I am from the IRS and your account has an unpaid tax bill. The Police will be sent out if it is not paid today.” Then they tell you to pay the bill by buying gift cards and then calling them back with the gift card numbers or mailing the gift cards somewhere. They are playing on your fear – the gray area of emotions.

But stop and think – NO governmental agency is going to call you or email you. You would receive a letter in the mail for documentation. Police DO NOT come to your house for an overdue IRS tax bill. NO governmental agency is going to have you pay with gift cards.    

Lottery / Sweepstakes winner – We have seen this scam either in letter form or by phone. The letter arrives saying you have won a lottery in Greece but you need to send them $1500 to have the winnings converted to US dollars and transferred to you. The interesting thing with this scam is the person that received the letter was from Greece. The scammers are playing on your emotion of joy and happiness of the unexpected winnings.

But stop and think – NO legitimate lottery or sweepstakes will make you pay to receive your prize. Did you even enter that sweepstakes? You will send them the $1500 and receive nothing.

Scammers love to target seniors who tend to be more trusting. Hearing issues also make seniors more vulnerable because it is hard to follow everything the scammer is saying making it easier for them to talk you into something.

We have known several very intelligent people that have fallen for one scam or another. These are only a few of the variations. So, what do you do?

• If you receive a scam call or something in the mail that causes fear or seems too good to be true – write down their instructions then ask a trusted friend before you take any further action.  Do NOT transfer money until you have had time to discuss it with family or a trusted friend.  If Johnny is really sitting in jail, he will be fine for a few hours while you make calls to confirm if this is real or a scam.
• If you are a victim of a scam, report it to the local police department and get a copy of the police report.  If you apply for Medicaid to help pay for Nursing Home care, the state looks at what happened to your money for the last 5 years.  If there is $5000 or $10,000 missing due to a scammer, you will need the police report to prove what happened to the money.  You were scammed once, no need to be penalized a second time by Medicaid.

No one plans to make a financial mistake such as these mentioned. But they can often happen in the blink of an eye. Constant awareness of situations that are out of the ordinary can save you a lot of headache, embarrassment and money. If financial situations have you worried as you age, or perhaps you have questions how to keep yourself safe, GolderCare helps families plan for the cost of Long-Term Care including the effect of financial scams on Medicaid applications. We advocate for our senior community.

GolderCare Solutions is an independent advocacy group for seniors, the disabled and those that care for them. GolderCare has offices in Moline and Bettendorf. You can reach GolderCare at (309) 764-2273 or learn more at www.goldercare.com.