Fraud Targeting Seniors Is Growing, BBB Warns

St. Louis, Mo., August 17, 2010 – The millions of senior citizens who fall victim to scams are a growing concern. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) encourages consumers to keep the lines of communication open with their elders to help them avoid scams or stop the drain on their finances.

A June 2010 survey by Investor Protection Trust showed that more than 7.3 million senior citizens—roughly 20 percent of Americans aged 65 or older—already have “been taken advantage of financially in terms of an inappropriate investment, unreasonably high fees for financial services, or outright fraud.”

“Having a serious conversation with your elderly parents about how they are managing their money is not easy, but it is extremely important in order to help protect them from unscrupulous crooks,” said Michelle L. Corey, BBB President and CEO.
 
“It’s extremely important to keep the lines of communication open so that you can identify suspicious spending habits, as well as educate your elder family members on recognizing the red flags of common cons.”

Scams that commonly target senior citizens:

Sweepstakes and Lottery Scams - Typically, the victim receives a letter in the mail stating that he or she has won a lottery or sweepstakes. The letter instructs the victim to deposit an enclosed check and then wire a portion back to the company to cover taxes or administration fees. The check turns out to be fake, and the victim loses whatever they wired back to the scammers—often thousands of dollars.

BBB Advice: Never wire money to someone you don’t know. You should never have to send money to receive any winnings from a lottery or sweepstakes.

Medicare Scams - Navigating the Medicare system isn’t easy and some scammers will look for any opportunity to take advantage of the confusion. Commonly, a scammer will claim to be with Medicare and ask for personal information such as Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, credit card or bank account numbers. The victim might be given any number of excuses to provide this information, such as: an error needs to be fixed, that he or she is part of a survey or  eligible to receive free products or can sign up for a new prescription drug plan. 

BBB Advice: Remind your elderly family members that Medicare will never call to ask for sensitive personal financial information. If you suspect fraud, contact your local police or the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General at 800-HHS-TIPS.

Bereavement Scams - Scammers often try to take advantage of the increased vulnerability of senior citizens who have recently lost a loved one, such as a spouse. In one recent example, a mother and daughter team in Ohio found targets by scouring the obituaries. They would then call the widow or widower and claim that their spouse had outstanding debts that needed to be paid immediately. Victims would then provide a blank check or credit card.

BBB Advice: Offer help to elderly family members if they have recently lost a loved one and are inexperienced in managing finances. If you are uncertain about owing a debt when collectors call, ask for written confirmation.

Deceptive Sales - While many scams targeting senior citizens might not have a face, some scammers may be invited in the front door, such as furnace repairmen, contractors, door-to-door salespeople, air duct cleaners and other service providers. Some professionals will lie about the extent of the problem or claim safety issues and then inflate prices for unsuspecting older customers.

BBB Advice: Find professionals you can trust by checking out a company with the BBB before you hand over any money. Report any deceptive services to your BBB, local law enforcement and the state attorney general. 

Investment and Work-at-Home Opportunities - The pitch might come in the form of an investment opportunity that promises big returns, or as a way to make money at home for an upfront cost. Regardless of the specifics, the victim is offered what sounds like a great opportunity but the extra income never materializes.

BBB Advice: Always research any work-at-home opportunity with the BBB. Beware of investment or money-making offers that seem too good to be true or use high pressure sales tactics to get you to sign up immediately.

Grandparent scam - Telephone calls come in from someone claiming to be a relative who is stuck in a foreign country and needs money to get home.

BBB Advice: Ask the caller for the person’s name or other information that would be known only to a relative. Do not wire money to someone you don’t know.

For more advice on avoiding fraud, visit www.bbb.org or call 314-645-3300.

Contacts: Michelle Corey, President & CEO, 314-645-3300, mcorey@stlouisbbb.org, or Chris Thetford, Director of Communications, 314-645-3300, communications@stlouisbbb.org