Senior Spotlight: Scam Artists Target Seniors

I was born at night, just not last night...so the saying goes. It should be the senior battle cry given the years of wisdom and life experience among them. Still, as a group, seniors are targeted by scam artists more often than other groups.

A new wave of senior scams has recently been reported across the country, mostly take offs on old favorites, others centering on the Census. Given all of the life experience, people wonder why seniors are targeted at an alarming rate. According to the Web site StopSeniorScams, it could be that while seniors have the life experience, they've also lived through a time that taught them that a man's word was his bond. When the scam artist translates that thought, it comes out sounding more like: Here's my checkbook, can you get me a pen.

Here are the top scams aimed at the senior market today. If you are approached for money or business from any of these, take a moment to re-read the materials, and call and verify the materials. If you have any doubt at all, stop, step back, and tell the person you are dealing with that you need time to think about it, that you want to talk to your children or lawyer about it. If the person presses you, appeals to your good nature or gets abusive, run, then call your local Better Business Bureau.

Below are some of the currently popular scams aimed at seniors:

Census-related scams. We're hammered with ads about the necessity to cooperate with Census workers, and they're correct. That's exactly what scam artists count on. The ads even talk about the consequences for NOT cooperating. You don't want to get in trouble, and you don't want to stop your neighbors from getting the additional money for police or fire departments, so you'll cooperate with a scammer who uses that ploy. Know that while Census workers will ask questions that are more personal than you are used to hearing from a stranger, they will not be asking you for your social security number, bank account numbers or anything financially specific.

Census workers do not go door to door asking for money. No matter what disaster is going on, the Census people will never ask you for a contribution. They are not involved with donations for Haiti. And while you may get phone calls and/or a follow up in-person visit from Census workers, you will not receive an email. Census workers will never use emails to contact you. These are all red flags.

Money-saving scams. For those who have lived through the first depression, these times feel a little familiar. Given that, seniors may be more prone to a scam artist who is presenting money-saving programs. Reverse mortgages are a particularly hot topic for seniors who may be in need of money, so this area is also of interest to scam artists. People may think they are signing up for a traditional reverse mortgage to get much-needed money now from the one source you have, the home. It turns out, however, that they are signing over the home and getting little, if anything, in return.

Investment scams are also a favorite of scammers for the senior market. Most of these fall into the category of: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Another favorite is the scammer who tells you you've won money. You may be told you have to pay a tax or deposit a certain amount of "good faith" money into a bank account before you can collect your winnings.

Charity. On the flip side of money-saving scams aimed at senior consumers, some scammers use the economic turndown to use appeal to the heartstrings of seniors. You will hear stories of disaster (most will be true) or even local stories of illness you may be familiar with. The question is, will the money you are giving the person soliciting it ever get to the charity or cause you are hearing about.

Smaller local charities are tougher to check out which is why we've seen an upsurge in this kind of fraud. If you hear of a local crisis on the news, you can bet a scam artist will start using it to bilk seniors out of money in short order.

Health-related scams. Surveys have shown that one of the top fears of senior Americans is declining health. Scammers target emotions, in this case, fear. In particular, scammers will build spiels around Medicare issues, such as Medicare discount card scams.

Home-related scams. Beware the salesman bearing snake oil or any other gift. It's not a good idea to let strangers in the home, nowadays more than at any other time, for safety reasons alone. For seniors, this is compounded by the fact that isolation and/or slower reflexes may exist.

Regardless, con artists are still using a driveway paving scam that has been around for as long as driveways themselves. Many areas around the country had a harsh winter this year, so there has been an upsurge in this type of scam. The need exists, and like legitimate businesses, scam artists build their "business" around need. The difference is they have no intention of filling that need.

Auto-related scams. Seniors have a fear of losing independence, so this is another area scammers target. The drill goes like this: a senior driver gets tapped from behind while driving. The scammer gets out of the car, talks about how important it is for both of them to keep insurance companies out of it so neither loses the right to drive (which wouldn't happen but since it's a fear, the senior may believe it). The other driver asks for cash or a check on the scene.

These are just the old favorites and a few current ones based on current events. To keep abreast of new scams aimed at separating you from your money pay attention to local news broadcasts. Most local stations run segments regularly on current scams in the area. You can also check with your local Better Business Bureau which generally will post news bulletins on current problems.