This past season I had talked to a neighbor here in Whisper Creek (who asked me NOT to publish his name) that had been scammed online. He and his wife had lost some money to the con and when they called the local police, they were told that there was nothing that could be done.
Although I believe that we seniors are particularly vulnerable, scam artists use time-tested scripts that can work on anyone. Sadly online and phone scams are in the rise. Last year Americans consumers lost $12.5 billion to cybercrime which shockingly represents a 22 percent increase over the previous year according to a report by the FBI.
While no specific countries are universally recognized as scamming hubs, countries like Nigeria, China, India and Russia are often cited as having high rates of scamming activity. And often local authorities do not have the resources to arrest and prosecute these criminals.
BIG CLUES
If you get a call that seems suspicious, signs to look for include: The caller will create a sense of urgency as in, Act NOW or you are going to lose big. They will ask for all kinds of personal information like banking info, home address and telephone numbers. They will use a generic greeting and often speak with a heavy accent. Their presentation seems canned as though they were reading off of a script. If the conversation becomes heated or they say that there is a problem with an unknown account, hang up, you are being scammed.
I can’t urge you enough to be careful when anyone you don’t know contacts you via the phone or computer and starts to solicit personal information. Never ever click onto an unknown link. The scammer can quickly and ruthlessly take over your computer and expose lots of private information.
One of the “hottest” scams out there works something like this. You receive an email from your “bank” saying there is a problem with your account. You click on a link and someone, claiming to be from your bank will say that they mistakenly put lots of $$ into your account and will ask you to buy some gift cards or send them a check so they can balance their records and not get fired. Yes I know it sounds phony but millions of dollars are lost each year to people falling for this scam.
Be careful with your phone. If you don’t recognize the number, don’t answer. And as my wife always says, if it’s important they will leave a message. When I see a call from an unknown number on my phone I simply don’t answer. Then I’ll look up the number on the internet and often find it’s a known scam.
One of the newest and in my opinion saddest scams is to use AI to generate a voice that sounds exactly like a grandchild/great grandchild etc. The voice will claim that they are about to be arrested and put in jail for a DUI, speeding or involvement in an accident and they need money to stay out of jail. If you get a call like that, HANG UP! It’s probably a scam. Then, to ease your mind, call them directly or at least call their parents to be sure.
This new generation of scammers are well trained, vicious and are experts at separating you from your money. Don’t give them the time of day. We are currently getting a TON of calls telling us there is a problem with our tax return. We don’t even bother to answer.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of Scammers Are Watching You! coming up mid June.
✍️ Greg Stangl
