“Older adults are too often
targeted by predators that use a number of ever-evolving consumer fraud scams
to steal personal information, money or more,” said Secretary of State Robert J. Rodriguez.
“To help better protect our loved ones, these tips help to warn older adults
and their family members about the different kinds of fraudulent schemes
scammers use so they can avoid falling prey to their tricks.”
New York State Office
for the Aging Director Greg Olsen said, "Scammers often use seemingly realistic or convincing
scenarios to trick people into sending money or providing personal information.
Older adults can protect themselves from being defrauded by exercising caution
and by not clicking links or providing personal information to a person or
organization that has contacted you unexpectedly. If you need assistance, or
have a concern about scams, you can find local help by contacting NY Connects
at 1-800-342-9871.”
New York State Office
of Children and Family Services (OCFS) Acting Commissioner Suzanne
Miles-Gustave said, “Financial
fraud and exploitation of our elder New Yorkers literally robs them of the
resources they need to maintain their independence, provide for their health
care and other vital assistance that ensures their well-being. These crimes are
often some of the most difficult to prevent and can inflict untold trauma upon
the victims and their families. We thank our partners with the Division of
Consumer Protection for offering these important tools and tips. You can also
contact our bureau of adult services at 1-844-697-3505
for referrals on money management services and other financial programs to help
protect these vulnerable New Yorkers.”
Some of the most common older
adult scams include:
- Medical
Device Scam: Unsolicited prerecorded
messages, known as “robocalls,” offering free medical alert devices by
providing an address and credit card information.
- Grandparent
Scam: Scammers call or email asking
for money while impersonating a beloved grandchild who is in some kind of
trouble.
- Ghosting
Scam: Identity thieves obtain
personal information about deceased persons from obituaries, funeral
homes, hospitals, stolen death certificates and online web sites and use
this information to establish credit and open accounts, take out loans,
receive benefits, or even collect tax refunds filed under the stolen
identity.
- Jury
Duty Scam: Scammers pretending to be law
enforcement officers or court officials contact individuals to inform them
that they have failed to report to jury duty and must pay a fine by credit
card to avoid an arrest.
- Funeral
Notification Scam: Scammers send emails
deceptively informing recipients of an upcoming farewell ceremony in
remembrance of a friend or loved one, and upon clicking a link provided in
the email, victims are sent to a third-party website where malicious
software is downloaded so scammers can gain access to the user’s
information.
- Sweepstakes
Scam: Scammers entice consumers with
various prize offers and then ask you to share personal information or pay
a fee to enter the sweepstakes.
- Internal
Revenue Service (IRS) Imposter Scam:
Phone scammers impersonate IRS agents and demand immediate payment of overdue
taxes from victims via debit card or wire transfer to avoid being
arrested.
- Free
Grant Scam: Scammers promise fraudulent
grants in print or over the phone and ask for bank account and routing
numbers.
READ MORE: Charity scam prevention tips
For more information about how
you can recognize the most common older adult scams or for more scam prevention
tips, download The Division of Consumer Protection’s informative Senior
Anti-Fraud Education (S.A.F.E.) brochure.
If you have parents or older family members, take the time to explain these
scams to them.
Here are a few tips to follow
if you or someone you know receives a call or email you believe to be a scam:
- RESIST
the urge to act immediately - no matter how dramatic the story is.
- VERIFY
the caller’s identity - ask questions that a stranger couldn’t answer.
Check with a family member to see if the information is true.
- DO
NOT send cash, gift cards or money
transfers. Once the scammer gets the money - it’s gone!
- DO
NOT give your personal banking account information by
email or over the phone OR log into bank accounts as directed by the
caller (scammers can steal your information using screen mirroring).
The New York State Division of
Consumer Protection provides resources and education materials to consumers on
product safety, as well as voluntary mediation services between consumers and
businesses. The Consumer Assistance Helpline 1-800-697-1220 is available Monday
to Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm, excluding State Holidays, and consumer
complaints can be filed at any time at www.dos.ny.gov/consumer-protection.
For more consumer protection
tips, follow the Division on social media at Twitter: @NYSConsumer and Facebook: www.facebook.com/nysconsumer.