By LAUREN JOHNSONLos Alamos
Today’s digital age comes with many opportunities never before seen or imagined. One can connect with friends and family across the world, have instantaneous access to a plethora of knowledge, and complete all shopping from the convenience of a handheld device.
Unfortunately, these modern conveniences can render users into victims of scams, thievery, and hackings without users even leaving their house or physically interacting with their perpetrator.
Gone are the days when a thief has to make a slit in your coin purse as you walk down the street in order to get your money. From email, to the Internet, to phone, most everyone in today’s society is susceptible to scamming. The older generation, however, is particularly at risk.
Financial scams are often considered “low risk” because they frequently go unreported and are difficult to prosecute if reported. Often, the lack of paper trail makes the perpetrator hard to identify and track. Seniors are particularly at risk of these scams as a result of their being perceived as having more money stored away. Their oftentimes lack of experience and familiarity with the internet and modern wireless telephones also adds to this targeting.
Generally, seniors are often a much more trusting generation, and thus are more likely to give out information or money in situations where the younger generation would be suspicious. Although there are countless scams that one could find themselves confronted with, there are a few more common ones that are often targeted particularly at the older generation.
The first scam deals with Medicare. Since Medicare is something that every citizen over 65 has access to, the scammer has to put in very little research in order to conduct this. Often a scammer will call the victim pretending to be a representative from Medicare and request personal information. After the victim has given them their information, the scammer is able to use it to bill Medicare themselves for phony services and receive payment.
Another scam tailored to the older generation is fraudulent prescription drugs and anti-aging products. People often turn to the internet to find their needed medicines for a lower price.
By doing so they have the potential find themselves paying for a counterfeit drug. This scam is particularly dangerous not only because of the financial loss it causes, but because the counterfeit medicine can be harmful. Another form of this fraud is when the offender receives payment for the drug via the internet, and then never actually sends any drug to the victim. This same concept can be applied to anti-aging products, which are particularly popular among the older generation – trying to stay young in an ever increasingly “beauty” focused world.
Not only is there a risk for fraudulent creams and products, but also fraudulent procedures, such as Botox. In Arizona in 2006, a Botox scam earned its distributors $1.5 million in less than a year before they eventually were arrested. A person must be very careful when selecting their medication and skin services – particularly if purchased online.
Telemarketing scams are commonplace and pose an especial threat to seniors because of the comfort level that they have using the phone. As a whole, seniors on average make twice as many purchases over the phone as the rest of the nation. This comfort with and commonality of buying over the phone makes them particularly susceptible. Some common scams include the perpetrator telling the victim that a relative has been in an accident or other situation requiring immediate financial support, and gets the victim to wire the money. Fake charities also target the older generation via phone. A scam that plays on both the older generation’s comfort with the phone and their discomfort with new technologies is technical support scams.
With these scams, the perpetrator will call their victim posing as a representative from tech support for their computer company, and claim that their computer has a virus or other issue that requires immediate attention. They will then ask the victim to perform functions that allows them to remotely access the computer. They are then able to take it over and access the victim’s personal information. Another form of this scam is the fraudster will claim that they fixed the problem with the computer and then demand several hundred dollars for their services, to be paid online.
Recently, a woman living in Albuquerque received a phone call from her elderly father who was living in an assisted living center at the time. He informed her that he had just gotten off the phone with a tech representative from his computer company. The representative had asked him to perform certain key strokes and combinations on his computer, and the man was now fixing all of his computer problems as they spoke.
What her father did not know, was that this India-based man, with the key strokes he had had him perform, now had access to everything on his computer and could see everything that he was seeing. The woman, sensing the scam, told her father to turn off his computer immediately. He refused to do so at first, as he was proud of the fact that he had been responsible for his computer being fixed, and didn’t see the harm that she saw in the situation. After the woman finally convinced her father to shut down his computer, however, it was still a long and arduous process to fix that which he had given the hacker access to.
Internet fraud is a risk for every generation, but seniors’ lack of experience and comfort with the internet make them particularly susceptible. The most common types are pop-up windows on computer screens and smart phones posing as anti-virus software. They ask the victim to download the software and either charge a fee for this fake service, or, the “software” is actually a virus and allows the scammer access to the information on the person’s computer. This can also come in the form of emails. Phishing scams attempt to trick a person into giving out their personal information, such as credit card information, bank account numbers, and passwords. Oftentimes phishing emails will ask a person to update or verify their personal information. Doing so allows the scammer access to the personal information and accounts that they are seeking.
Another scheme tailored perfectly to the older generation involves using their grandparent status to manipulate and swindle money. The scammer will call pretending to be their grandchild and have an unexpected financial cost or issue. They will ask the grandparent to send them the money via an unreliable transfer system. This scam is particularly easy to conduct and is virtually untraceable. Oftentimes, no prior research is required as the scammer can simply call the victim, refer to them as “grandma” or “grandpa,” and ask if they know who is calling.
After the victim guesses which grandchild is on the phone, the scammer has an identity to use without having put in any prior work. This scheme is often one that can be repeated over and over, and the victim rarely finds out it was not in actuality their grandchild that they gave the money to.
When asked about scams that those in Los Alamos are particularly susceptible to, a Los Alamos Police Department Officer replied, “We have had in the past people that will call victims and inform them that they work for the Los Alamos Sheriff’s Department and that a warrant has been taken out on them. The scammers then tell the victim to pay the money or they will be taken to jail. For us, this is easy, as our Sheriff does not handle issues like warrants. But for other places, a call back into the Sheriff’s department can help alleviate the situation as well.”
This scam is prevalent for both the older generation and those in Los Alamos in general. The best way to prevent being scammed is to be wary of unidentifiable phone calls, websites, emails, and identities. Be aware of the sites one is accessing and confirm the identity of a caller before giving them any information. A safe rule is the classic, ‘if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.’
Any tempting deals, promotions, or sales should be handled with caution and verified before employing; especially when solicited over the phone.
Besides the often difficult to trace nature of scams, they can be especially difficult to prosecute when the person being scammed does not realize that they have been for several weeks or even months. Time is of the essence in these sort of cases, and the sooner a person can report the crime, the greater chance law enforcement has of catching the scammer.
Although it can be hard to catch and prosecute scammers, when asked what sort of legal recourse a victim has, a Los Alamos Police Department Officer said, “A victim of a scam can come forward to law enforcement, as there are criminal charges that can be filed against an offender, assuming the offender is located.”
As was the case with the Albuquerque gentleman’s daughter, many feel frustrated or helpless when it comes to their older family members because they are so susceptible to scams.
In addition, seniors often are afraid to come forward and admit it if they do realize they have been scammed. This stems from an embarrassment and fear that their family will think they cannot take care of themselves and are irresponsible.
Of falling victim to such crimes, a Los Alamos Police Department Officer advised, “The biggest prevention that can be put into place is to teach and coach the elderly to NOT ever send any money (be it cash, checks, credit cards, or money orders) until they have confirmed the information as being credible.” He also stated, “Family members can encourage their elderly to attempt to write down all information that is discussed with anyone in the future. This will help them to realize that they are possibly speaking to a scammer.”
The best way to prevent either being scammed or having a loved one fall victim is to be aware of the risks and potential for danger. Always verify who you are speaking with if they are unknown, and don’t be afraid to come forward if you have been scammed. It is already difficult to catch scammers, and delaying the report only lessens the chances of seeing justice served.
Being scammed is just one of the many risks that come with new technologies of the time. Fortunately, however, by remaining informed, alert, and careful, many of these unwanted situations can be avoided.
Editor’s Note: Lauren Johnson was an intern at Dabney and Griffith Law Office through the Community Internship Collaboration program at UNM-LA.
