Criminals and hackers find new ways to defraud innocent people all the time and often their activities are directed to the elderly. Watch out for these new scams and follow the suggestions to Stay Safe!
Romance Scams
Criminals pose as love interests online with several different schemes to defraud their targets. They work on their targets, sometimes over months, to gain their trust. Then they come up with a tragic event where they need money to pay doctor bills or have an operation or some other heart-wrenching story that prompts an elderly (usually female) to send money. A scammer may even convince a senior to open an app to invest in cryptocurrency and a deposit is made into a fake crypto account and is eventually cleaned out by the scammer. Stay safe by never sending money or investing in a cryptocurrency scheme with a man who you met online until he can be vetted professionally.
One-time Password (OTP) Scam
Scammers use automated programs called BOTs to deceive people into sharing the two-factor authentication codes sent to them via text or email from companies such as Amazon or banks. Stay Safe by never sharing authentication codes, or providing other information, in response to an unsolicited phone call or text. It could be the BOT that is trying to log into your account and it wants the code that you were sent by the bank so it can access your account.
Relative is Hurt or in Jail
Criminals use this particularly devious scam to bilk people out of money after giving fake, but emotionally disturbing news. Your grandson is in jail. Your granddaughter has been hurt in an accident and is in the hospital. Money is needed immediately. Please help! A twist on this heinous scam is when the scammer uses artificial intelligence (AI) to copy your relative’s voice (from online videos, chats, or recorded texts) and the call seems to come from a loved one pleading for help. Stay Safe by not panicking. If you receive a call like this, hang up and call a relative or the police to check on your loved one’s circumstances for peace-of-mind.
Puppy Purchase Scam
Scammers try to exploit dog lovers by offering cute puppies for sale on the web. In one instance documented by the BBB, a woman paid $850 for a Golden Doodle puppy, only to receive additional requests for money — first $725 for travel insurance for the dog, then $615 for a special crate. In the end, the buyer lost $2,200 and never got the puppy — which didn’t actually exist! Stay Safe by visiting an animal shelter and checking out the dogs available there, before you search online. If you spot a puppy you like on a website, do a reverse image search to make sure it’s not a photo stolen from some other site. Insist on seeing the pet in person before paying any money.
Check Washing Scam
Thieves steal checks from mailboxes and then bathe them in household chemicals to erase the original name and dollar amount, leaving blank spaces they can fill in. With this scam, they can convert a $25 check to one for hundreds or thousands of dollars. Stay Safe by depositing outgoing mail in USPS blue collection mailboxes late in the day near the last pickup time so it doesn’t sit for long. At home, avoid leaving mail in your own mailbox overnight. When you are away, arrange to have your mail picked up by a friend or neighbor or have it held by the post office.
Free-gift QR Code Scam
Scammers put fake QR codes over real ones to exploit the convenience of barcodes people scan into their phones to see restaurant menus or to make payments … or someone may call you and say they are sending you a QR code on your phone so you can collect a free $100 gift card. Instead, this fake QR code sends you to a malicious website. Stay Safe by contacting the person or company that supposedly sent it to make sure it is for real. Use a phone number that you know to be correct and authentic. Never scan a QR code that arrives without your prior knowledge.
’Wrong Number!’ Texts
Getting a seemingly misdirected text message can be the beginning of a scam. A text message addressed to someone else comes up on your phone. It may seem urgent – a rescheduled meeting or social event. You text back, “Sorry, wrong number!” The scammer keeps sending friendly texts and may eventually try to rope you into a relationship, phony investment, requests for credit card info, or another scam. Stay Safe by not responding to texts from numbers you don’t recognize. Don’t click on links in them or respond with STOP if the message says you can do this to avoid future messages. Block the phone numbers instead.
Fake Barcodes on Gift Cards
Nimble-fingered crooks affix fake barcode stickers over the real ones on the backs of gift cards in stores. When you purchase the card, the cashier scans the fake code which sends your money into the scammer’s gift card account. Stay Safe by making sure the barcode number matches the number on the packaging before you buy it. Don’t purchase if the barcode is on a sticker (rather than printed on the card) or if the package is ripped, wrinkled, bent or looks tampered with.
Fake Bank Calls
You may have set up online bank or credit card accounts so that you can only access them with a “live” code sent from the institution. If criminals have your bank or credit card username and password login and want to steal from you, they cannot without the live code. So they call or text you and say they are sending you a onetime passcode to log into your account. What they have done is trigger the bank to send you a code. They ask you to read that code to them for verification. If you do … they now have everything they need to gain full access to your account. Stay Safe by never revealing the onetime pass code to anyone on the phone or by text or email.
The Misdirected Package Hoax
This scam involves a purported delivery driver who calls or texts to say he or she has your package but cannot find your house. You might receive an email about rescheduling a drop-off. You might even have a fake sticker on your door that says they attempted to drop off a package but could not because you were not home. What they really want is personal information from you. They may send you a link that downloads malware that will harvest passwords and account information from your computer. Stay Safe by contacting the seller or delivery service using a verified phone number. Don’t use numbers or links provided by potential scammers.
Out-of-Stock Item Scam
Fake ads on social media sites offer products at too-good-to-be-true prices. You place your order with your credit card information and wait. You get a text or email that says your item is not available and your refund is on its way, but it never arrives. And the phone number and website you have for the company isn’t helpful or accessible. Stay Safe by researching online businesses before you buy. Only shop on secure websites with a “lock” symbol in the browser bar and an internet address that begins with “https.” (The ‘s’ means “secure.” Pay by credit card so you can contact your credit card company to withhold payment pending an investigation if you suspect fraud.
The bottom line is that there are more and more creative ways to fleece the public by unscrupulous people … many scams aimed at the elderly.
If you have doubts about a person’s identity or motives who calls or texts you, hang up and call the bank or store or delivery service to verify what you’ve been told. Don’t ever give personal information over the phone or in response to a text or email.
If you have questions about helping a loved one who is in one of life’s transitions, call Marie LeBlanc at 617-513-0433 or email her at Transitions Liquidation Services.