Creative Aging: Senior Scams
“There are so many scams on the internet nowadays. Send me $19.95, and I will tell you how to avoid them.” —Author Unknown
“Aren’t you excited,” the caller asked.
“I would be if I believed you,” my husband Marlo said.
Marlo had just been told he had won $2 million in the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes. To claim his prize he needed to meet the representative at the local Walmart parking lot.
Immediately.
Was the call genuine? How could we tell? We didn’t want to be swindled, but we didn’t want to miss out on $2 million, either.
According to the Senate Special Committee on Aging, swindlers cheat older adults out of $2.9 billion per year. When seniors fall for a scam, they typically lose $500 to $1500. The average loss for younger adults is $300 to $400 per scam.
Why is there so much scamming of older adults? It is a low-risk crime because it is difficult to prosecute. Seniors are less likely to report losing money in a swindle than younger adults, and seniors often have more available cash.
Swindlers can have two different goals. Some seek our personal and financial information; they want to steal and use our identities. Others simply want our money.
These con artists may contact us on the internet, by the telephone, or in person. They usually present us with something wonderful or something terrible. They may appeal to either our fear or our greed.
Fear frauds vary widely. We are being audited by the IRS. Our deceased relative owed the scammer money. Our supposed grandchild desperately needs cash. Our health insurance may be inadequate. Our computer has a virus.
Greed cons also vary. We can invest in a luxurious retirement development in Central America. An available credit card has no interest payment. We have won a sweepstakes or lottery. A Nigerian prince is looking for a partner to help claim his inheritance. We can have our home reassessed and lower our taxes. We are offered an expensive product at an incredibly low price. A pyramid scheme promises an impressive payback. We can work at home and earn a high hourly wage.
Some scams appeal to our hearts, pretending to be charities in need of funds, especially following a natural disaster. Another appeal to our hearts is an online romance fraud. Romance scams take longer than most scams, but the average payoff is also considerably higher as lonely people repeatedly provide funds for a “soulmate” con artist.
How we can spot a scam:
- If a website or email has grammar or spelling errors, it has a high chance of being a scam.
- If someone asks for your personal or financial information on the phone, hang up. No legitimate government organization or business will telephone you and ask for this type of information. Social Security never contacts people by phone. If someone is trying to sell you something on the phone, tell them you don’t make purchases over the phone. You need the information in writing.
- If someone asks you to pay in an unusual way—by money order or gift card for example—they are very likely trying to defraud you.
- Swindlers pressure their targets to act immediately. They create a sense of urgency, with either a crisis or immediate deadline.
What should we do if a swindler attempts to defraud us? Even if the scam was unsuccessful, you should report it to state and federal authorities.
-In Iowa contact the Iowa Consumer Protection office. Email: consumer@iowa.gov. Phone: 515-281-5926
-Contact the federal government’s Federal Trade Commission. Online: https://reportfraud.ftc.gov. Phone: 877-382-4357
When Marlo and I received that call that claimed to be from Publishers Clearing House, I had not yet done the above research. We did not know we should report attempted fraud. But we did know enough to check out the offer before acting.
Marlo tentatively agreed to meet the caller at Walmart, as requested. Then, before doing anything else, we googled Publishers Clearing House scams. Neither of us remembered registering for a Publishers Clearing House prize, so we were especially suspicious.
We found the following information: “Does the prize have a high value? PCH doesn't contact winners of prizes worth more than a couple of hundred dollars by email, bulk mail, or telephone. They appear in person or send a certified letter.”
Our suspicions were confirmed. We did not drive to the local Walmart parking lot for the requested meeting.
Why did the swindler want us to meet him at Walmart? What would have been his pitch, had we appeared there? He might have requested our personal information and then presented us with a fake check which would have bounced. He might have said we needed to pay a processing fee for taxes and expenses before we could claim our check.
We will never know.
But we do know this: if an offer appears too good to be true, it probably is.
Adapted from Creative Aging by Carol Van Klompenburg, published 2023, available from Amazon and for Pella-area residents directly from Carol. Carol has an MA in theater arts and is available for reading performances of her writing on aging, moments in her gardens, and other topics.