Siouxland officials say senior-targeted scams ramp up for holidays

Caregivers of elderly Americans need help and support, too.

SIOUX CITY -- If you're feeling generous this holiday season, particularly if you're a senior, you need to be wary of scammers who are looking to take advantage of that giving spirit.

According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, older Americans lose between $2.9 and $36.5 billion annually to financial exploitation.

"They're very trusting and they want to help others -- scammers recognize that," said Tasha Jones, an elder rights specialist for Connections Area Agency on Aging, who will lead a discussion about scams at the Morningside Branch Library on Dec. 10. "Elders also don't question when people are asking for help. They just give in."

Jones said seniors are often reluctant to tell family members that they've been roped into a scam because they fear it appears as if they can no longer manage their finances.

"They're scared that their family may have them go to a facility sooner or they may lose their independence," she said.

Grandparent scam

The phone rings. The caller on the other end says, "Hi grandma, It's your favorite grandson."

The elderly woman responds, "Oh, Hi, Timmy."

The scammer posing as Timmy relays that he was traveling for school and, unfortunately, ran into some trouble with the law. Now, Timmy is locked up. He desperately needs money to get out of jail, but he doesn't want his parents to find out about his misdeeds. Can grandma send some money to bail him out?

Oftentimes, Jones said, scammers phish for personal information during the call, but she said social media accounts can provide a wealth of information to make their stories seem more realistic.

"You can Google search anybody, but also more seniors are on Facebook, so scammers can hack into those accounts and be able to look up pictures and identify names," Jones said of this scam, which occurs year-round, but seems to pop up more often during the holiday season.

Charity scam

The Tuesday after Thanksgiving has been dubbed "Giving Tuesday." Founded in 2012 by the 92nd Street Y and the United Nations Foundation, this response to commercialization and consumerism seeks to unleash the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world by donating their time or money.

Scammers have taken note of Giving Tuesday and formatted emails and letters to coincide with this day of giving. Jones said they may even pose as a legitimate nonprofit, such as the American Red Cross or the Humane Society of the United States.

"You can copy a logo off of anything and ask for money to save the animals or some other kind of charity," she said. "Our elders are kind and want to be able to help out. They can't give their energies, but they can give their money."

IRS scam

A scammer calls pretending to be from the IRS. He informs you that your taxes are delinquent. You better immediately purchase Green Dot, iTunes or Google Play gift cards; otherwise, someone is coming to your home to arrest you.

"The IRS doesn't get paid in gift cards," Jones said. "But they call and they pressure the senior that has never been in trouble."

Jones said seniors want to take care of the matter before their family finds out that they have an arrest warrant hanging over their head, so they purchase and send off the gift cards.

Another variation on this scam involves scammers threatening to turn off seniors' utilities due to a late payment. Seniors can avoid losing their electricity or water by paying via wire transfer or Green Dot gift card.

"We know that's not how you pay your bills. But if you're a scared senior, you're going to do whatever the person's going to tell you," Jones said.

Red flags

Jones said some red flags that you're being drawn into a scam include, being pressured to act immediately and instructed not to tell anybody about a call or email.

"If there's spelling errors in the email, if there's not any way to contact anybody other than through an email, that's questionable," she said. "We always recommend to our seniors to start asking questions. It's OK to ask questions and to talk to family."

Seniors who think they've been targeted by scammers can call Connections Area Agency on Aging for guidance at (800) 432-9209.

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Siouxland officials say senior-targeted scams ramp up for holidays