Crooks are creative and will go to great lengths to con you out of your money. Experts from the FBI to the Better Business Bureau caution against ever wiring money, sending cashier's checks or cash itself in the mail, or buying Green Dot prepaid Visa cards. Each of these are ways to deliver practically untraceable cash to a crook who will take it and run.
Below are four popular scams to which elders seem particularly susceptible, according to the Better Business Bureau.
If you get these calls, emails or personal messages, hang up. Tell people you don't give personal information or send money over the phone or through social media. The more you're being pressured, the likelier it is you are being scammed. Crooks rely on immediacy and emotional reactions, according to Michelle Tabler with the Anchorage office of the Better Business Bureau.
The Lottery Scam
In this con, someone contacts you over social media or on the phone, sometimes both. The crooks may be imposters posing as your friends or acquaintances. These frauds eventually steer the conversation to talk about lottery winnings and how your name is among the winners. The con artist asks for money up front before winnings can be released, and will continue to ask for more money, coming up with different reasons each time.
The BBB's advice: You can't win contests you haven't entered, so don't participate.
The IRS Scam
In this con, callers pretend to be with the IRS and demand that a victim immediately pay past-due taxes or fees. There are variations, but the gist is the same: You are told you owe money and that if you don't pay quickly, bad things will happen. The caller may threaten that you'll lose your bank account or your house. The IRS is also now receiving "new reports of scammers calling under the guise of verifying tax return information over the phone," according to irs.gov.
"Don't be fooled. The IRS won't be calling you out of the blue asking you to verify your personal tax information or aggressively threatening you to make an immediate payment," IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said in a prepared agency warning about scams.
A recent email variation of the scam involves fraudulent emails that look like they come from the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel, a legitimate group. But the emails are actually from criminals using the topic of a refund to con people out of personal information and money.
The IRS recommends never responding to or clicking the links in the emails that appear to come from the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel.
The Sweetheart scam
In this con, the con artist finds his or her victim on a dating site. Once the couple starts talking, the crook begins "grooming" the victim, sharing stories, building trust, maybe even proposing marriage. Eventually, Mr. or Ms. Wonderful will start talking about building the couple's dream home, or moving out of state or out of the country, and needing money to help with expenses. The con artist has excuses at the ready about why they can't pay the bills themselves, and asks their swooning beloved to help fund a variety of bogus projects or needs.
The Grandparent scam
In this con, an elderly person will get a frantic call, usually late at night or very early in the morning. The caller pretends to be the grandchild or someone official. In one version, the child is in another country -- such as Canada or Mexico -- and needs money for medical care. In another, the child has been arrested and needs money for bail. In both instances, the child asks that the grandparents do not tell their parents, and the "official" gives the grandparents instructions on how to wire money to aid the grandchild. A variation of this scam also targets deployed service members.
The BBB has a variety of recommendations for avoiding the grandparent scam:
Bonus scam: The combo
It may seem hard to believe, but in many cases, callers who are successful with one type of scam will call back the same victim within 10 or 15 minutes and launch into a new hoax, knowing that they've found a receptive target. They'll also try multiple scams until something -- anything -- sticks. They can be relentless, demanding, aggressive, threaten financial ruin and in some cases, threaten to hurt you or people you love.
Have you been victimized? Speak up. If you have a family member who has been a victim, call the Elder Fraud and Assistance Office at 907-334-5989, or the Alaska Department of Law Consumer Protection Unit at 907-269-5200, and contact your local Better Business Bureau office at 907-562-0704 to report the experience.
Jill Burke is a longtime Alaska journalist writing from the center of a busy family life. Her father swore by "Burke's Law No. 1 -- never take no for an answer." Meaning, don't give up in the face of adversity. The lesson stuck. Share your ideas with her at jill@alaskadispatch.com, on Facebook or on Twitter.
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