Two recent cases resulted in $1.4M in losses
By JEFF JELLISON
Reporter Publisher
Each year, millions of elderly Americans fall victim to some type of fraud, and Carmel police say they are seeing an increase in these crimes in their community.
According to CPD investigators, seniors are often targeted because they tend to be trusting. They also usually have financial savings, own a home, and have good credit – all of which make them attractive to scammers.
Police say scammers work to gain their targets’ trust and often communicate with them directly via computer, phone, and the mail.
“Scammers have the ability to use technology to obtain names, dates of birth, addresses and phone numbers of a potential victim’s friends or relatives,” said Carmel Officer Mike Morley, an expert on senior fraud. “They will often spoof phone calls or emails. Spoofing is the act of disguising a phone call or email from an unknown source as being from a friend or relative. If someone is asking for money or your personal information, don’t assume the caller ID or email address is correct.”
Once scammers gain the trust of their victims, they are likely to keep a scheme going because of the prospect of significant financial gain.
Two recent investigations conducted by Carmel officers resulted in the victims being scammed for more than $1.4 million.
Carmel police say common scams directed toward the elderly include:
- Romance scam: Criminals pose as interested romantic partners on social media or dating websites to capitalize on their elderly victims’ desire to find companions.
- Tech support scam: Criminals pose as technology support representatives and offer to fix non-existent computer issues. The scammers gain remote access to victims’ devices and sensitive information.
- Grandparent scam: Criminals pose as a relative – usually a child or grandchild – claiming to be in immediate financial need.
- Government impersonation scam: Criminals pose as government employees and threaten to arrest or prosecute victims unless they agree to provide funds or other payments.
- Sweepstakes/charity/lottery scam: Criminals claim to work for legitimate charitable organizations to gain victims’ trust. Or they claim their targets have won a foreign lottery or sweepstake, which they can collect for a “fee.”
- Home repair scam: Criminals appear in person and charge homeowners in advance for home improvement services that they never provide
Local law enforcement officials say many scams go unreported. Seniors may be less inclined to report fraud because they don’t know how, or they may be embarrassed at having been scammed. They might also be concerned that their relatives will lose confidence in their abilities to manage their own financial affairs.
“If you believe you are a target of a scam, or if a criminal gains access to your identity, computer device or bank account, immediately contact your financial institutions to place protections on your accounts, and contact your local law enforcement agency,” said Carmel Police Chief Jim Barlow. “Our officers are available 24 hours a day to answer questions. If you think you might be a victim of a scam, call the Hamilton County Dispatch Center at (317) 773-1282 to have an officer contact you immediately.”
Morley says it is important to act quick. The sooner the incident is reported, the better the chances of recovering money. He also encourages people to keep original documentation, emails, faxes, and logs of all communications to aid in a potential investigation.
When reporting a scam to police, it is helpful to include as many of the following details as possible:
- Names of the scammer and/or company
- Dates of contact
- Methods of communication
- Phone numbers, email addresses, mailing addresses, and websites used by the perpetrator and methods of payment
- Where you sent funds, including wire transfers and prepaid cards (provide financial institution names, account names, and account numbers)
- Descriptions of your interactions with the scammer and the instructions you were given
FBI data reports elder scams account for $3 billion in losses annually throughout the country.