Suzanne: And welcome back to Answers for Elders Radio Network. And we are talking about a very, very sad topic and I wish to everyone that we didn’t have to talk about things like this, but we’re talking about scams, people that are taking advantage of seniors, how they do it, what they do and what you can do to prevent yourself. And we are here with Faith Marshall who is a dementia care consultant, and you work with families all the time where their loved ones have been compromised due to memory loss. But it also happens to those that don’t necessarily have memory loss, maybe they’re just vulnerable, maybe they’re just lonely, and especially — I know because of the pandemic, there’s a lot of lonely seniors out there, and they still haven’t come out from being isolated for so long. And so they are ripe to be taken advantage of. And the phone is a huge issue, is it not?
Faith Marshall: It is. One of my clients received a phone call, and somehow they masked the caller ID. So it looked like Microsoft calling. And so when he answered it, they said we’re alerting that you have a problem with your computer, and we need to hop on your computer and help you. And because he’s always lost on his computer, they knew the right questions to ask him and just through a little bit of that conversation, they could tap into the fact that he was confused and not confident on his computer. So, next thing you know, somehow they had connected to his computer by giving him them a URL to type in and give them the code and they’re connected, then they’re telling him to log into his bank account, they’re capturing all that information, they are logging into the bank account and fixing something, and somehow with whatever they told him. He was embarrassed and he didn’t even talk about this for three days. And they somehow talked him into paying them in order to fix said problem by buying Best Buy gift cards. So he bought the gift cards, gave them the sequence of five gift card numbers. I think there, there must be a limit on the size of a card to the tune of $2,500. And then they kept calling him, and I, I, I don’t recall whether he physically went to the store to get the gift cards or whether they did this on the computer. But this went on over a couple of days with them calling his cell phone, him answering it, and then thinking that they were helping him with a problem he was having on his computer.
It was all made up, and he just felt violated and we were able to change the password on his bank account. Fortunately, it did not get to his business line of credit or any of that. But, he’s in his early 80s and that feeling of fear, and then he felt stupid. So he didn’t want to talk about it. And I encouraged him to report it to the police. He’s in Arizona. So he did report it to the police and basically had to fill out forms for federal scam stuff online at that time. I did not know about the AARP scam hotline, but he lives in a senior community. So he did get some support and then he had to pay somebody to come in and put all the firewalls and everything necessary on his computer. First thing I told him to do is unplug that internet cable from your Comcast box, just disconnect it. They can’t get to your computer if they don’t have internet to your computer. And so that’s a quick thing to do if you see anything going wrong with your computer. If it’s on wifi, you just unplug your router. But if it’s hardwired you just unplug the computer and it’s disconnected.
Suzanne: You know, it’s interesting Faith when you say this because so many times somebody will call and we all see a caller ID. This is something that you can’t necessarily trust, that they’re still the right organization and that are calling you. And that’s the thing I always say, unless you for sure know the information, and if you’re a reputable business, people are going to already know your name, they’re already gonna know your account number. They’re gonna give you enough information that you can know that they’re legitimate. If they don’t, for example, they might know your name, but they might say, oh, well, I’m calling regarding your card that ends in 1234. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re a legitimate organization. Make sure you call and have them repeat the card number. What is my card number? If they start telling you to give them your card number, that’s a red flag. Make sure that you’re paying attention to what that person has to say. The other thing is it never pay for something like that right away on a phone call. I always say, you know what, let me think about this, if it’s something I really am considering doing, call me back tomorrow and how often the legitimate person, if they want to sell you something, they’ll call you back. And in the meantime, you have the opportunity to research: Who is this person? What is this phone number that they’re calling me from? If it’s unlisted or masked number or you can’t see the number, that’s a red flag.
Faith Marshall: I even received a phone call from my credit union, that said they were the credit union calling with a fraud alert, which the credit union does. I got sucked into it the whole conversation. Next thing I knew the guy had moved money from my savings account to checking, entered himself as a bill pay and then I hung up and I called the real fraud prevention line, and they hadn’t called me, and they were able to stop it, but he was ready to empty my checking account and, and it was kind of like, oh stupid. You know, I know this stuff, but I, you just get sucked into it too.
Suzanne: Yeah. And people are very, very clever. But again, if, if they’re asking you for a card number, they have a card processor. They are traceable. So the thing that you need to understand to each and every one of you is file a claim with your bank. I had something happen, where I purchased something online, and I never received the product. I ended up filing a claim with my provider saying I never got this product. I need my $80 back, and my bank immediately put it back in my account. So it wasn’t bad. And then I just got a letter today that your claim has been proved and it’s not an issue. So again, there are safeguards. Just pay attention to what people are asking you, what kind of information — don’t give out personal information to a stranger on the phone. If it’s your bank, they already have your information. They’re not gonna ask you for those things.
If your loved one is vulnerable, find ways to help them keep their dignity, because they still have their autonomy, they still have the right to purchase things if it’s their money, but it’s finding a way to work with them, not against them. And I guess that’s the thing that I am so adamant about.
Faith Marshall: Yeah. I would like to see something like a silver alert with the bank like we have the silver alerts for dementia wanderers getting lost, something with the bank that’s a code word that can be used when someone is withdrawing a large sum of cash. I don’t necessarily want my bank watching out after me or over me, but watching out for me, we need some methods like that put into place.
Suzanne: Along that line, oftentimes people will send you rental scams. This is another thing they do is, if somebody’s renting their basement out or something like that, there’s people that they’ll say I’m in another country, I can’t come look at your place, but I want to rent it. And next thing, you know, you get this money order in the mail or cashier’s check and you think it’s real, and you take it to the bank and happened to me once a long time ago, long time ago. And I’m very grateful, my bank came up and said, you know, this does not look right and, and so, you know, if we’ll, we’ll deposit it for you, but if it’s not legit, I want you to know it’ll come back. And so right away, I go, nope, we’re not gonna do that. So obviously using that mindset, having that ability to be watchful and careful, sadly, we have to do this, and have to help our loved ones be in that lane as well
Faith Marshall: It’s almost like you want to not answer your phone if it’s not a familiar number and just see if they leave a message. It’s hard to do if you’re lonely, somebody is calling you, you’re gonna answer it and have a phone chat. You know, you don’t know who this is.
Suzanne: And again, that’s why phone cell phones are better because they’re not necessarily listed numbers, especially if your loved one is not on the internet, putting their email address or their phone number out anywhere, the chances of them getting those types of calls on a cell phone are much less. I’m not saying it’s not gonna happen, but it’s much less than using a landline where you’re a registered phone number and people know that number, they might know what list you’re on. There’s all types of lists where they can figure out if they’re retired or a senior or purchasing items, or even understanding what things you’re interested in, they can go on your social media and figure out how old you are, what you do, what you do where you live…
Faith Marshall: Yeah, there really is no real privacy anymore.
Suzanne: So, anyway, Faith, what is the fraud watch number of AARP and tell us a little bit about it.
Faith Marshall: So, AARP has a fraud watch network and they help seniors monitor scams and then report all that to the Feds. And that helpline number is 877-908-3360. And I really encourage people to report it. Don’t think you’re gonna bother the police if you call them. Let them know what’s happened and keep our services that are available to us aware of what’s going on in your neighborhood, because they have just done the same thing to three other neighbors.
Suzanne: And Faith, how do we reach you?
Faith Marshall: You can reach me at [email protected] is my email or (855) 36FAITH.
Suzanne: Wonderful. And Faith,. I’m very excited to have you here, and we’re gonna be back for one more segment talking about this very important topic right after this.
