From The Skyliner, December 2015 by Dr. Jerry Lewis, Skyline Resident
Although the Federal Trade Commission is the focal point for collecting data on scams, most scams are never reported because of embarrassment from falling for one or lack of information on how to report them. It is estimated that 13 million Americans are victims of identity theft annually and many more are victims of other costly scams.
Common scams targeting seniors include lottery scams, particularly the “Jamaican Lottery” that threatens to harm you and your family if you do not pay the supposedly owed taxes or other costs entailed with your “win.” It’s important to remember that, by law, Americans cannot participate in foreign lotteries, and of course, if you did not buy a ticket you cannot win! Also popular is the “Grand-parent Scam,” where a caller says they are a relative (often a grandchild) who is now in trouble in a foreign country and has been hospitalized or put in jail and needs money to be released. They urge you to send money by Western Union, MoneyGram or a Green Dot card. These money transfer businesses rarely question your intentions.
A variation of this scam is an email using the name of one of your friends saying he is in a foreign country, was robbed and needs money to get home, which he will repay promptly when back in the US. Note: the scammer has never lost his passport because that would mean he would have to work through the US Embassy, which would recognize this scam. These hackers have gained access to your email address book. Tip-offs are errors in grammar and spelling or using the exact name in your friend’s email address, whose usual name is shorter (e.g. using “Ronald” for your friend “Ron”). If you are a victim of this scam, contact your network administrator and change the password to your email server or online accounts you suspect have been hacked.
The Fake Check Scam is associated with your listing an item for sale on Craigslist. The caller says he wants to buy your advertised item and will send a cashier’s check to you. When it arrives, you note he overpaid. Shortly thereafter, you get a call from the “buyer” who admits his error and asks you to deposit his cashier’s check and send him a check for the over-payment. Being a trustworthy person, you agree. One to four weeks later, your bank notifies you that your deposited cashier’s check bounced. Now you’ve lost the item you thought you’d sold and shipped to the “buyer” as well as the over-payment you sent to the crook.
Typically once scammed, the thief enters you on his “sucker list,” which he then sells to other scammers, assuring that over the next 6-12 months, you will be threatened again and again by additional scammers.
Remember: If it sounds too good to be true, it likely is; calls from someone you do not know asking for financial help are probably calls from scammers and under no circumstances should you share confidential information with those you do not know closely. Also, do not believe the caller ID on your phone—it too may be fraudulent. If your caller ID says it is from the IRS, local police, your bank or the President of the United States, it is likely a scam; these rarely call—they send letters.
In Washington State, if you want more information on scams, call AARP Fraud Fighters in Seattle at 1-800-646-2283.