Pig butchering– it’s the latest scam in crypto, where scammers with a false identity develop a relationship via text or social media, with victims (“pigs”)- eventually leading them to supposedly invest money in cryptocurrency (they may even send you a fake financial statement showing “earnings”). By the time the victim becomes suspicious, their contact is unreachable- and their money is gone.
Scams of all sorts are big business, and retirees are often the victims. Unfortunately many criminals today particularly target older Americans. It has gotten so bad that from 2020, there has been a 62% increase in scams, costing Americans 50 and older 3 billion last year. Scams can take place online, by texting or phone call, or at your front door (such as criminals posing as home repairmen). Older Americans are great targets because they are polite, trusting, often homeowners, and sometimes have tempting financial savings.
“Congratulations! You are the grand prize million dollar sweepstakes winner! But you have to act fast and just send some advance fees to claim your winnings…”
So says the phone call. We have all gotten such calls, or variations on them. I cannot count the number of times I have received recorded messages from the “IRS” demanding immediate payment. The IRS has a specially dedicated phishing@irs.gov to report such fraudulent calls or emails. I always try to report these scams. It only takes a few minutes and I like to think that it helps the IRS target their impersonators.
Just how many Nigerian princes need help getting money out of the country?
Schemes take many forms, all of them based on psychological and emotional manipulations. Take the romance scam– you’ve seen this one play out every week on Dr. Phil or other such show, with some unfortunate guest insisting their online boyfriend/girlfriend is bonafide and not just interested in draining their bank account. Romance scammers are skillful to “reveal” something about themselves, to get reciprocating self-disclosures, and create a sense of closeness or even love. What person can resist someone telling them, “I have not felt so close to someone in so long…” ?
Sweepstakes scams, on the other hand, are based on a person’s FOMO (fear of missing out). The scammers presents this great opportunity (“You’ve won the sweepstakes and are now rich!!!”) But the person has to act fast, to claim that dwindling opportunity for whatever product or winnings. Make note, anything that pressures you to act quickly, without thinking much about it, is probably fraudulent. The best advice to take when someone is pressuring you, is to tell them you will not decide this immediately- they need to send you a letter, and then disengage. No impulse spending allowed here.
“I need you to wire money now…!”
Grandparent scams are particularly ugly, and raise up emotions that replace logic. What grandparent getting a panicky call from someone screaming, “Grandpa, help! I’ve been arrested and need money for bail right now!” is likely to act calmly? You might think that you would not be tricked by this, but it is surprising how many fall for this scam. An example of an awful variation on this was a recent kidnapping scam call that an OC woman received in September 2022 that her son had been kidnapped and money must be paid immediately for his safe return. (https://abc7chicago.com/phone-kidnapping-scam-ransom-spam-calls-california-fbi/12265882/). The scammers, sometimes out of the country, want money wired to them. Their scam is based on speed and fear. If the victim slows down long enough to verify the actual whereabouts of their loved ones, they find them safe. The scammers often use information gleaned from social media to make their calls realistic, and have the crying screaming child supposedly on the call in the background.
Tech support scams are a recent fraud, compliments of the computer-based world in which we now live. A tech support scammer will call you, saying they are from a well known company, and there has been a (non-existent) problem that you end up paying for them to fix.
Pop-up error messages on your computer are a variation on this scam- do not call the number on the screen!!! I fell for this scam once, with a loudly screaming pop-up message on my computer saying that I had a computer security problem. Thankfully I stopped before spending money to fix something that was never broken, but thinking clearly with your computer making horrible incessant alarm noises is difficult. Legitimate tech companies will never contact you by phone, email or text telling you there is a problem with your computer. You can report tech support scams to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
“This is a call from your bank, we are seeing suspicious bank activity with your account…”
Impersonation scams are especially successful with an older generation that has an ingrained respect for authority, such as the police, the IRS, or Medicare rep. Criminals will actually program their caller ID so that their phone call looks like it is from the Sheriff’s Office, or the Bank of America. Many people, not just seniors, have been bilked out of thousands of dollars by falling for phishing scams of emails or texts, saying for instance that your account is compromised and you need to reset your password. NEVER click the link provided, it enables scammers to access your information or download malware so as to hack into your account.
So everyone, retirees included, have to make note to think clearly, not react quickly, never give out personal information directly to someone that has contacted you… common sense stuff. The scammers are clever, and play on trusting people that are not thinking that anyone is out to get them. It is sad to have to assume that there ARE people trying to get you, or your money, after all.
So it is good to study up on some of these scams. Knowledge is power, and retirees like us need to stay savvy and informed. But if the variety and amount of scams still makes you feel helpless, take heart. Some folk are fighting the scammers, in some pretty unique ways.
Porch Pirates Vs. Glitter Bombs
Take Mark Rober, a former NASA engineer. (https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/info-2022/mark-rober-glitterbomb.html) Rober’s reaction to a porch pirate stealing a delivery off his porch evolved into his setting up a tempting delivery that was really a glitter-bomb. When stolen, the box would explode and not just coat the thief with glitter. The glittery thief would be filmed as well- one such event was viewed some 88 million times on You Tube. That prank raised awareness of scammers with the community and authorities alike.
Not content to settle on porch pirates, Rober and other fraud vigilantes focused on illicit call centers in India, that often target older Americans. The scam fighters got very elaborate, and also used their skills to record their results on the scammer’s own (hacked) closed-circuit TV cameras. As a result of their scheme, a criminal call center in Kolkata, India, was overrun with cockroaches, rats, a stinky spray AND glitter bombs. When the film was shared with Indian officials, multiple arrests were made, and several call centers were briefly closed down.
While these creative push-backs cannot beat the 20 million a year international phone fraud businesses, it is a step in the right direction. Everyone must do their part.
The Department of Justice has a national fraud hotline. Reporting a scam or attempted scam helps DOJ target where criminals are at work. The National Elder Fraud Hotline is 833-FRAUD-11 or 833-372-8311.
Ianzito, Christina AARP. (October 4, 2022). Justice Department Intensifies Its Fight Against elder Fraud.
