Getting the word out on elderly scams

Yahoo

19-03-2025

A grandmother receives a phone call from her grandson. He tells her that he drove into another car and has a broken nose and stitches. Then he tells her that he's putting an attorney on the line. That person says that he needs to receive $9,000 to keep the grandson out of jail and keep the matter off his record.
Scams like this, described on the US Postal Inspection Service website, are happening to senior citizens in Niagara County. Sheriff Michael Filicetti said his office just investigated a grandparent scam, with scammers asking for multiple gift cards to pay for damages by a grandchild.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for Vermont announced on March 5 that 25 Canadian perpetrators were indicted for a grandparent scam that defrauded individuals in Vermont and more than 40 other states. According to the Federal Trade Commission, artificial intelligence is used to clone the voice of a loved one.
'Every phone scammer wants you to feel pressed to make a decision,' Filicetti said. 'You can always hang up and confirm where your grandchild is.'
The Niagara County resident recently scammed lost $24,000 after they were told a family member was in jail, Filicetti said. The victim was told to get four Green Dot gift cards for $600 each at different locations of a chain store.
Filicetti reminds the public of how the sheriff's office and other law enforcement agencies actually work, so they can recognize a false story.
'We would never say 'give us money' for us to release somebody,' he said. 'We would never ask for gift cards or cash over the phone like that. We don't assess damages.'
'It's so common,' said Kara Donovan, deputy director at the Niagara County Office for the Aging. 'It's awful, but it's amazing how many people right in our Lockport community have fallen victim to financial scams and have lost thousands and thousands of dollars.'
Many banking institutions and retailers are training employees to look out for clients withdrawing a single large sum, Filicetti said. Retailers are also watching out for people buying multiple gift cards.
'You can stop it sometimes before it gets to them losing money,' Filicetti said. 'It's a lot easier to prevent this than investigate it.'
Most scammers are from outside Western New York, Filicetti. 'We do get some that are local here. They'll actually send somebody to pick up the gift cards or cash. We've found some of those come even from New York City.' The sheriff said that the person coming to the door may only know that their job is to make pick-ups, not that it is part of a scam.
Donovan said there are so many types of scams that it's almost impossible to keep up.
Filicetti agreed. 'There's romance scams — you've found true love. Or you've won the lottery, 'call to claim.' They target older people for a reason — because they feel they're more vulnerable.'
'Seniors who are tech savvy are falling victim to these scams,' Donovan said. Although Facebook and other social media can be valuable for keeping in touch with friends and family, it's also where scammers can create a false identity and spin stories of deep affection or personal tragedy.
'When you're older and you're lonely, and grieving the loss of your spouse, you might think differently about that,' Donovan said of a victim's reaction.
The sheriff's office is available to talk to groups about fraud prevention. For a speaker, call 716-438-3310.