In
2017 alone, Tulsa County received over 2,200 referrals and reports of
crimes against seniors. To combat such offenses, two detectives, a
supervisor, and a full-time volunteer share the caseload of reports
filed with the Tulsa Police Department.
Working
hand-in-hand with local agencies, the goal is to protect the vulnerable
adult population as well as the seniors in the Tulsa community. This
protection is often found in educating seniors.
The
Senior Services Unit combats crimes such as financial exploitation,
elder neglect, physical abuse, caretaker neglect, identity theft, credit
card fraud, and all types of scams targeting the senior population.
Grandkids
scam, IRS scam, jury duty scam, and the love scam are some of the top
choices the bad guys will use to get money from seniors.
Grandkids scam
The victim, usually a senior, receives a phone call from someone pretending to be their grandchild.
Once
you answer the phone and say hello, the suspect will say, “Grandma,”
then the senior may answer, “Is that you John?” And the suspect
immediately answers, “Yes, Grandma, it’s John.”
Then
the caller, or suspect, will continue the conversation and tell the
senior that he’s in jail or recently got in a car wreck and needs money
to either bail out of jail or receive medical treatment. They may even
hand the phone over to a cohort who pretends to be an attorney or
doctor.
Often, these suspects ask for money through an Apple iTunes gift card or some other type of gift card.
The
easiest thing for seniors to do is to hang up. Your grandchildren
should never request you send them money via a gift card over the phone.
You can send your grandchildren gift cards through the mail, but never
give gift card information over the phone.
You
must verify where your grandchild is and verify their location with
their parents. Often times, the suspect on the phone will ask you not to
call their parents, because they are too scared to let them know. But
remember, this is your money you will lose.
Never give someone a gift card over the phone. This is a scam.
IRS scam
The IRS will never contact you about warrants because of missed payments or discuss your past due taxes over the phone.
In
rare cases, an agent will contact you if you are part of an identity
theft investigation you initiate — but they always start the
investigation by mail.
Never give money over the phone to the IRS.
Jury duty
The Tulsa County Court Clerk will never call you and say you have a warrant because you missed jury duty. A letter is often sent by mail to the juror, but a phone call will never occur.
Did you know most
seniors are excused from jury duty due to their age or mobility? If you
receive a notice for jury duty, follow the directions on the
information card.
If you receive a phone call stating you missed jury duty and there’s a warrant for your arrest, hang up. This is a scam.
You
will be notified by mail if a warrant for your arrest exists; you will
never be asked to pay for a warrant using a gift card.
Love scam
Some seniors seek companionship on the internet or to find true love. In some rare cases, this type of matchmaking works.
Seniors
are preyed upon hard when finding the right one online. The suspect
uses your vulnerability to their advantage. Many of these suspects start
communication by email, then text messages, and sometimes will talk to
you for hours over the phone.
They
may be in foreign countries or other states and will start to ask you
for money to help them buy a plane ticket or gas money so they can come
and see you.
Never give money
to someone you have never met. This scam often goes unreported, because
people are embarrassed and will never tell someone.
If you have never met your true love in person and only online; never send them money of any type. This is a scam.
Full Article & Source:
Beware of scams: The grandkids scam is among several that could be costly to seniors
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