Preying on the elderly

Heather Ainsley
ECB Publishing, Inc.

Reports of a money scam specifically targeting grandparents first circulated several years ago in 2008, and it would seem scammers are circling back around to it, taking advantage of elderly members of the community and their love for their grandchildren.
Being a grandparent is a chance for men and women who have raised their own children to be “the fun one,” and dote on the children of their grown children. This builds a bond that is often unlike any other, as the role of authority rests on the parents, leaving grandparents to fill in the position of best friend, mentor, and teacher. It is not uncommon for grandparents to receive a level of trust, and sometimes confidentiality, with their grandchildren. This is exactly what the scammers are counting on.
The exact details of the grandparent scam are varied, as scammers get creative to trick unsuspecting grandparents out of their money. However, common scenarios usually go something like this:
A grandparent gets a phone call or email from their “grandchild”. Phone calls may be early in the morning or late in the evening, to ensure that the grandparent who answers may be tired and not as alert as usual. The caller will usually claim to be traveling and has gotten into a bad situation, such as getting arrested, getting in an accident or getting mugged (this is where they'll get creative), and needs money wired to them, as soon as possible! Scammers may add little touches to the call that prey upon the bond between grandparent and grandchild, saying things like, “Please don't tell mom or dad, they would only get upset!” or “I only have the one phone call, I knew I could count on you above anyone else to help me!”
Sometimes, instead of “the grandkid” calling, the scammer pretends to be an arresting officer, a lawyer, a doctor at a hospital, or some other person in authority. There have also been reports of phone calls beginning with the “grandchild” speaking, and they hand over the phone to one of the “people of authority.” This scam has also been reported as victimizing military families, where a scammer will contact a soldier's grandparents and will claim that an issue came up with their military leave, and it requires money to address and solve the issue, or the soldier will lose their leave and be unable to visit their family.
While this type of scam is usually referred to as a Grandparent Scam, it can be altered and molded to fit any member of the family, so citizens must be alert for calls from nieces, nephews, or family friends.
What should you do if you suspect you are receiving a scam call? The first thing to do is to stay calm, and resist the urge to act quickly. The caller will be putting lots of pressure upon you to act now, and they may even mention a deadline or time limit. If you do end up in a conversation with the caller, casually ask questions that someone else is unlikely to answer or know to avoid, such as, “Does someone need to feed Fido until you get home?” if your grandchild has no pet named “Fido.”
Contact other family members, including your grandchild, to try and verify the story of the scammer. Scammers will plead with you to keep the “emergency” a secret precisely so you won't try to confirm it. If the scammer claims to be a law enforcement officer or lawyer, contact the office or agency with which they claim to be affiliated, to verify any information. Trust your instincts. Try not to get riled up or panicked. Scammers want you to get upset to distract you from spotting the ruse.
Don't offer information to the caller. Scammers fish for facts they can use in the conversation to help convince you. If they start the conversation with, “It's me, Grandma!” don't say your grandchild's name. Wait for the caller to say it. Or offer up a false name, and see if they respond to it. Scammers often gain access to personal information by using social media or by purchasing data from cyber thieves. They then use this data to prey upon the fears of loved ones.
You can report any fraud targeting older people to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) online at or by phone at (877) 382-4357. Reports filed to the FTC are shared with over 3,000 law enforcers. They do not solve individual cases of fraud, but they use reports to investigate and bring cases against fraud, scams and bad business practices. They also offer tips on how to best protect yourself in the future from scam callers.
Grandparents often have a hard time saying no to their grandchildren, and this is something scammers are counting on! Be aware, awareness is the best deterrent against scam artists. Keep up regular contact with your family and close friends, and be careful of how much you share publicly on social media.

Don't click the link

Devyn LeBlanc
ECB Publishing, Inc.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is issuing a new warning about an email that is impersonating the IRS and claims that a third round of stimulus payments are due to you. In the email, there is a Claim My Payment button that looks the same as the IRS portal buttons. At the bottom of the email is a statement claiming that they are recording your IP address and if you deliberately put in the wrong info, it's a crime. The scammers are trying to lure would-be victims into giving out their personal details to be used at a later time for identity theft.
Although this email looks very real, there is a very important detail that demolishes its disguise. If you click or hover above “from” or “sender,” it will tell you exactly who sent you the email. If it doesn't say @irs.gov, it's fraud. Anyone who suspects they have received a phishing attempt from an IRS-related correspondence, is asked to forward the message to phishing@irs.gov.

New COVID relief scam

Attorney General’s Office
Contributor

Attorney General Ashley Moody has issued a Consumer Alert warning Floridians about a new phishing scam that offers fake COVID-19 relief funds. Scammers are impersonating Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan in phishing emails, claiming the recipient is eligible for financial relief and requiring personal and financial information in exchange for the nonexistent funds.
Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “These brazen scammers are impersonating a federal agency charged with investigating and shutting down scams. Floridians need to be on the lookout for these phishing emails and report them to the FTC. We have seen so many new scams during the pandemic, but this latest trick is extremely flagrant. The best way to beat this scam is to immediately send these messages directly to the FTC and be sure to never reply or click on any links in the email.”
Please know that the FTC is not sending out any COVID-19 stimulus or relief money. You can report this scam to the FTC by visiting the agency's website at, http://www.reportfraud.ftc.gov/ or emailing the Anti-Phishing Working Group at ReportPhishing@apwg.org.
Imposter scams can come in many different forms: emails, phone calls, text messages and other direct communications. To avoid falling victim to imposter scams, follow these tips:
• Do not automatically trust the number listed on caller ID, an email address or a stamp on a piece of mail;
• Avoid clicking on any suspicious links in messages;
• To reach out to a company or government agency, look up the phone number listed online rather than the number provided in the email; and
• Never give out personal or financial information in response to a solicitation.
Phishing scams occurring in Florida can be reported to the Attorney General’s Office by calling (866) 9NO-SCAM or filing a complaint online at MyFloridaLegal.com.
For more information about imposter scams and how to avoid them, view Attorney General Moody’s Scams at a Glance: IRS Imposter Scams brochure at http://myfloridalegal.com/webfiles.nsf/WF/RMAS-BJXJPH/$file/irs-scams.pdf.
To access the Scams at a Glance webpage for more content related to other common and emerging scams, visit http://www.myfloridalegal.com/scamsataglance.