50+ Lifestyles

News from Seniors And Law Enforcement Together (SALT)

Scams Against the Elderly

Scams against the elderly seem to be on the rise and scammers are getting more creative and more sophisticated all the time. Seemingly, the three most common scams against the elderly are the grandparent scam, the IRS scam and the computer repair scam.

The problem is only going to get worse as the population of elderly increases. Baby boomers are turning 65 at the rate of about 10,000 a day, with the U. S. Census Bureau estimating that nearly 20 percent of America will be 65 or more by the year 2030.

• The grandparent scam is when a person calls and is very upset posing as your granddaughter or grandson.  The caller usually says they are in jail in a foreign country and in need of your help. The caller asks that you wire them money to clear up the misunderstanding and tells the grandparent not to tell anyone, including the grandchild’s parents.
• The IRS scam is basically where people call posing to be someone from the Internal Revenue Service saying that there is a problem with a tax return and funds need to be sent immediately.  Many times the caller yells and may even become verbally abusive to convince the person to send money quickly.
• The computer repair scam is when someone calls you and says you need a computer repair or software upgrade, then they instruct you to wire money to pay for the work.

The best advice is if anything sounds out of the ordinary, don’t take any action until you check it out. Call a loved one or family member.  Even though the caller tells you not to tell anyone, tell someone you trust before you ever send money. The scammers are counting on the fact that you are going to make a rash decision and send money online or through a pre-paid cash card.