Targeting Seniors Older adults are often targets of fraud and other crimes. Growing Bolder recently spoke with retired FBI Agent Lynn Billings to learn more about scams targeting seniors. Billings was a special agent for nearly 25 years. Her primary investigative experience focused on white-collar crimes, including the areas of finance, healthcare and public corruption.
1. Sweetheart Scams “This was by far our No. 1 scam,” Billings said about romantic connections targeting widows or other older singles in a long-distance setting, preying on loneliness. Contact is typically made through online dating sites or social media. Often, it’s men targeting women pretending to befriend them, saying they feel an immediate or quick connection, and then relating a story with a financial need. Billings said the supposed financial need often involves a “huge contract” that the scammer says they are waiting for in order to receive a big payment. Other false excuses: a piece of equipment is broken and needs repair or slow earnings because of COVID-19. The end goal of resolving the “problem” is coming to see the targeted person. R E D F L AG S :
Hastily expressed feelings and interest in establishing a relationship and a request for money via untraceable sources such as gift cards, cryptocurrency, or wire transfers.
2. Government Impersonator The second most common scam, according to Billings, involves contact from someone impersonating a government agency, such as the Federal Trade Commission, Internal Revenue Service, or Social Security Administration. Examples include an FTC impersonator citing issues with your investment accounts, an IRS impersonator claiming you owe money, and a Social Security representative stating they are investigating an identity fraud in your name and requesting your date of birth and address for confirmation. R E D F L AG S :
Each scenario dangles the threat, “You’re in trouble,” with the solution of paying a fee or providing information to resolve the issue. Initial communications from government agencies never include unsolicited calls, emails or texts.
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G R O W I N G B O L D E R / O C T O B E R D I G I TA L D I G E S T 2 1
