Sixtysomething Podcast Episode 4 - Don't Get Scammed!

Sixtysomething Podcast - Episode 4 - Don't Get Scammed!

[00:00:00] GTS: Hey there. Welcome back to the 60 something podcast. I'm grace. And today we're diving into a topic that's crucial for everyone, but especially for us in our sixties and beyond. I'm talking about scams. Those tricky deceitful schemes that can catch even the wisest savviest among us off guard. We'll uncover the common signs of a scam share.

[00:00:28] The top scams criminals are using today. And equip you with the knowledge to protect yourself and your loved ones. So get settled, grab your cup of coffee. Let's get started on this exploration of the dark side. I guess the best introductory quote for the subject would be. There's a sucker born every minute. Because almost all of us are vulnerable to being scammed. According to the [00:01:00] ARRP April, 2024 bulletin. a publication that features the latest information about fraud every April. Criminals are bombarding older Americans with emails, phone calls, texts. And letters trying to steal as much of our money as possible. Consider this. 2.6 million Americans roughly. Equal to the population of Chicago reported losing roughly. 10. Billion dollars. Last year. That's. Billion with a B.

[00:01:42] To fraud and that's just the reported cases. There are a surprising number of different types of scans, and I'm going to go through a bunch of them. You may have already heard about a few because some of them have been around for a while. [00:02:00] Such as phishing scams, phishing emails, that's spelled P H I S H I N G.

[00:02:08] These are scammers who impersonate, legitimate organizations and attempt to steal your personal information. To use to open credit accounts or get into your bank accounts. There are romance scams. That's where predators. Form. Fake relationships to exploit individuals emotionally and financially. Most of us have encountered tech support fraud, where fake alerts, trick victims into paying for unnecessary technical support.

[00:02:43] Fake charities. Scammers take advantage of people's generosity, especially after disasters or during holiday seasons. You give them their card number, the charge goes to their account, not any charity. The [00:03:00] AARP publication. I mentioned contains information. About the latest types of scams coming our way. Check washing.

[00:03:10] For example, that's been very popular. That's when thieves steal paper checks from mailboxes, wash the ink off with chemicals, leaving just the signature, and then they fill in. A new amount at different payee. Of course. Oh, but that's old news now. Check cooking. Is the rage today where the thieves take a digital picture of a stolen check. And then you software to alter it. Fight against this one by paying your bills and sending money to loved ones and people or businesses you trust with electronic transfers from your bank. If you don't know how get somebody to show you. And if you absolutely must mail paper checks, [00:04:00] mail them at the post office, don't even use a neighborhood mailbox. And always monitor your checking account for suspicious transactions. Another scam is pulled off with what's called voice printing. These can capture a recording of your voice. And then use a software program to generate an imitation. Of your voice. A fake version that allows them to impersonate you so they can make calls to family and friends pretending to be you. And request money. Using the same method they pull off. Oh, this is so despicable, they pull off what's called the multistage grandparents scam. Which is a new version of the classic grandparents scam. That's when an imposter pretends to be a grandchild in trouble who needs instant money for bail car repair. Or [00:05:00] some other emergency. But now. They use an imposter voice they've created. This actually happened to a friend of mine. It was about two years ago, her son called and said he was in jail and he needed money for bail. In a panic.

[00:05:17] She tried to reach him. But then wisely. Called a friend when she couldn't and found out that her son just wasn't home and it was a big fake. Supposedly the scammers are getting organized with this one. They staff call centers with young people who are paid for every person they can deceive. One effective gimmick that they use is to have the imposter grandchild. Provide a case number.

[00:05:50] And then when the grandparent calls the fake authority. They will ask for a case number. That's a psychological [00:06:00] trick, which makes the fraud seem more credible. Ah, Some of these criminals. Even have someone pose as a courier and go to the grandparents' home to pick up the money in person.

[00:06:16] And just today. Just today. I'm getting ready to. Record this podcast and I see. on CNN online about this case, I guess it happened in March, but they filed some new charges against this man. An 81 year old man. Pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of murder and other charges Wednesday related to the shooting. of an Uber driver.

[00:06:42] He mistakenly believed was working with a scammer who had been attempting to extort him.

[00:06:50] Yeah, I guess what happened is a scammer. Called this man. And he pulled the. The [00:07:00] scam. I was just talking about. He. Was. Presented with. This claim that one of the man's relatives was being held in jail. And when the man didn't fall for it. The scammer threatened him and his family. So when an Uber driver arrived that this man, this 81 year old man had not called. He was very suspicious.

[00:07:28] She had been told she was supposed to pick up a package. And, her dash cam recorded the whole thing. When she asked the man about it, he thought she was a scammer. And he shot her. He shot her dead. 61 year old lady. According to this.

[00:07:50] It's the scammer. Who set this whole thing up with the Uber driver.

[00:07:57] It was pretty ridiculous. I guess it was just an [00:08:00] attempt to take some measure of retaliation against this older man for not falling for the scam in the first place. And Uber does know the account of the individual who ordered. The Uber. But there's no news right now on. Whether that person has been arrested or located or anything, but.

[00:08:26] If you need. Confirmation that this is really happening. It's in the paper every day.

[00:08:34] So if anyone calls you from an unfamiliar number claiming to be a family member in trouble, hang up. And call that person's phone number that's listed in your contacts or your address book to see if they actually are in trouble. Basically what my friend did. If they don't answer and you're concerned that could be real contact other family members or [00:09:00] friends and figure it out. Together two heads are better than one. A good practice is actually to avoid calls with anyone other than family or close friends. If someone outside your inner circle needs to reach you. Have them text you. Another big scam is called the celebrity scam. Usually on social media, someone posting as a celebrity, like a big celebrity, like Celine Dion or Jennifer Lopez, or their managers will reach out to you and say something like. Oh, Celine loved her comment.

[00:09:37] She wants to talk to you. Here's her private account. DM her. And then when you do connect. The conversation gradually turns to how her fortune is tied up somehow. And she really needs a loan. Which blows my mind that anyone would fall for that. But of course they do. [00:10:00] Anybody could. Rule of thumb. If you get a message from someone claiming to be a performer or an athlete or their agent be extremely skeptical, it's probably a scam. And, you know, the hurried nature of scams has a lot to do with how people fall for them.

[00:10:21] So just slow down. Make sure whatever the situation you're being presented with. Is real. The next one. Is called delayed action sweepstakes. This is when con artists call or write you to say that you've won. A fabulous fortune. But there's a new variation instead of trying to get you to pay taxes or other fees in advance. To collect this non-existent prize money.

[00:10:53] They will ask you for personal information. To quote, unquote, validate you so that they can set up [00:11:00] your payout. But what they're really up to is writing small test checks on your account to see whether you notice. And if you don't. They'll use your accounts to get lines of credit in your name. If you get a call. Claiming you've won a sweepstakes.

[00:11:18] Hang up. Never share your personal information. Okay. One of the latest scams is coming up. You know, the Paris Olympic games are coming up this summer. This is called the Paris Olympic scam. This is a revival of what's called a fake emergency scam. It's predicted this is going to. Emerge. The scammer. Has hacked someone's email account.

[00:11:46] And shortly afterwards, all of that person's contacts, receive a message saying I'm in Paris at the Olympics and my wallet got stolen. Resist the urge to react immediately. If you hear from a [00:12:00] friend. In Paris or anywhere needing cash. Try other ways to contact that person. Call them on the phone with the number that you have for them. Now scammers are able to fake phone numbers for incoming calls.

[00:12:17] It's called spoofing. The phone number you have for your son or your daughter grandchild, or even a government agency? It could be fake. So your phone showing their number is not a guarantee that it's really them. So don't fall for that. Call them back. Spoofing doesn't work on outgoing calls. Just slow, your roll. And make sure whatever the situation. You're being presented with is real because most of the time. It's not. Another of the latest schemes becoming popular. Is scammer sending victims to crypto [00:13:00] currency.

[00:13:00] ATM's. In one case. Con artists posed as federal agents and convinced some poor woman that our bank accounts had been compromised. They told her to take her money. Which in this case was $11,000 in $100 bills to a cryptocurrency ATM. She fed all of that money into that machine. And it was credited to a QR code. Account that she was given to use at the ATM and her money. Went directly into the scammers cryptocurrency wallet. Crypto is so popular with scammers because it's difficult to trace. Remember. They use fear and intimidation to manipulate. their victims. A pretty common scam happened to my mom. It was quite some time ago. Seven years or so. She calls me one day and she says, [00:14:00] oh, the IRS just called me. They said I did my taxes wrong. And I owe them $7,000.

[00:14:07] They want me to come to the bank and they're going to meet me there. I'm supposed to withdraw the money. And if I do it today, then I won't have to pay a penalty. What. I said, mom. The IRS does not call you and they definitely don't meet you at the bank, so you can give them cash. That is impossible. It's a scam. She wasn't dumb. Those scammers were scary and then they were nice, helpful. And as I'm saying this, as I'm telling you these stories, you're probably thinking like, I usually do. Oh, that is so insane.

[00:14:44] I'd never fall for that. But I believe that anyone can be fooled and manipulated by an extremely talented, charismatic. And perhaps sometimes frightening con artist. [00:15:00] Here are some red flags to keep in mind. Scammers will use urgency and pressure the targets to act quickly. So, as I've said, take your time. Tell them, you have to verify the information or just hang up and then verify. Call the organization's phone number you find on the internet or even a phone directory

[00:15:22] if you have one. Do that rather than ever letting them call you back, don't answer. If they call you back. Another red flag requests for personal information. Legitimate organizations typically don't. Ask for sensitive information in email or on the phone.

[00:15:44] Unusual payment methods. Be wary of requests for payment via gift cards, wire transfers. Or yes, cryptocurrency. And one more thing we should touch on is the latest AI [00:16:00] technology that is enabling a whole new level of scamming. Images. Uh, video images of people, celebrities. A boss. Your children. Can be computer generated. This is the really dark side of AI technology. People can be impeccably faked with this tech as part of an effort to steal your money or your identity. And this is just the beginning of these fake avatars. We're going to have to watch out for this, but I do believe the technology will be developed to help us combat this really tricky tactic.

[00:16:45] Perhaps now is a good time to discuss. What can we do? First of all. Keep on that thinking cap. Be skeptical. If something seems too good to be [00:17:00] true, it probably is Verify before you act on any request for anything verify contact the person or the organization through a different means than using information that they have provided. Be mindful of security. I hate having to do this too believe me, but keep up with your passwords.

[00:17:24] You need to change them frequently and use that two factor authentication that is so annoying making you get a code to sign into your account. It's protecting you. Report scams when you come across them. You can report them to the FTC. That's the federal trade commission. You can report them to local law enforcement. AARP has a special division called the fraud watch network and they have a helpline.

[00:17:54] All of the information of course will be in the show notes and on the webpage. [00:18:00] Now. Folks, this is really important stuff. We're going to have to be on our toes to keep up with this. But if you stay informed and there are actually newsletters and services to help you do that, some free, some paid. Will be in the show notes. Take a look at them. Additional ways to be safer. Open your phones to contact list. Add your family, friends, doctors. Other important numbers and then go to your phone settings and turn on the setting for silence, unknown callers. That way, any caller who isn't in your contacts directly goes to your voicemail,

[00:18:41] make sure you're signed out of financial apps on your phone, credit cards, financial institutions, and peer-to-peer apps like Venmo. And Zelle. And make sure your account settings require security measures such as a pin. Fingerprint [00:19:00] or facial recognition. And that way, if your phone is stolen, they can't get your money. Audit your wallet or your purse, remove cards and information. You don't need to carry. Don't carry around your social security card or your Medicare card. Make copies of anything you do need to carry. Front and back and store in a safe place. Routinely monitor your credit report. You need to watch for unusual activity and if you see any report it immediately. Every few months, revise the passwords on your financial accounts. Now the, your best bet is to use a pass phrase. Like I love my 17 dogs exclamation point. All one word. That is much stronger. Then scruffy 23.

[00:19:57] Keep track of your passwords in a highly [00:20:00] secure password manager, or by writing them down and storing them in a safe place.

[00:20:08] Just continue to be very skeptical. Many criminals use friendliness, compassion, kindness as their persuasion method. Rather than fear and intimidation, but some of them use that too. Whichever tactic, they are always going to create this. The sense of urgency to get you to act out of emotion rather than logic.

[00:20:30] If you feel pressured or manipulated, walk away. Last check your social media settings to make sure you have your account set to private. That way only people you choose to trust can view your profile and contact you through social media.

[00:20:48] Much of this information I've shared with you in this episode. I found in the AARP bulletin, April 20, 24, issue that I [00:21:00] mentioned, and I highly recommend that you check out. They're articles on fraud. They are all free. All linked in the show notes and on the webpage. All of the resources that I mentioned in this episode and every episode you will find in those show notes. I hope this episode has been a good overview for you of the scams that are hovering around us.

[00:21:27] The most important thing to remember is that the ball is in your court. Don't become paranoid. Just be mindful. Be on the alert, be aware, be skeptical. Don't let anyone pressure you or try to confuse you. Scammers frequently target older adults for a reason. Their perception of us is that we possess wealth. May be lonely and so more likely to trust if we're paid attention. [00:22:00] Perhaps sometimes they think we may be less familiar with the digital world.

[00:22:05] And so more easily led. So they come after us a little bit harder. There are a lot of resources out there to help us. I encourage you to educate yourself, stay on top of what the latest scams are, so you can get ahead of them and never be taken in by one. What are your experiences with scams? Do you have a story to share? DM me or better a post in our 60 something Facebook group.

[00:22:34] So everyone can benefit. I have so appreciate your sharing. What did they say? Sharing is caring. Thanks for joining us. Remember. The links I mentioned plus more in the show notes on the webpage.

I'll see you next time. When we'll talk about. Sleep.