Mt. Vernon Register-News

Local

March 2, 2010

Seniors alerted to scams, given tips to avoid them

By KANDACE MCCOY

kandace.mccoy@register-news.com

MT. VERNON — Educating seniors on how to protect themselves against identity theft and scams was the focus of a seminar held Tuesday morning at the Rose Lane Recreation Center.

One of the most common scams targeted against seniors are sweepstakes scams, according to Senior Services Officer Mt. Vernon Police Detective Marty Terry. The check, he says, looks like a real check, with instructions to cash it and send in a small “processing fee.”

“What happens is if a person takes that check to the bank, and writes a personal check for say $1,500 for the fee, two to three days later the bank will notify the customer that the sweepstakes check wasn’t any good,” Terry explained. “So then the person is not only responsible for the cash they took out in the personal check, but the other amount as well.”

Another scam the MVPD has received a lot of calls about is a Jamaican scam, Terry said. “It’s like the Canadian sweepstakes one, but comes out of Jamaica. There have been several people in Mt. Vernon who have fallen prey to that scam and lost thousands of dollars. And for someone on a fixed income trying to help themselves, well, that’s devastating to them.”

According to information from Terry, seniors across the nation receive at least one letter and two telemarketer calls that are scam-related, however, he said he believes that number is actually higher.

“I think it’s more on a daily basis,” he said. “I have received stacks of mail residents have received in a week.”

Terry said seniors can protect themselves by practicing the following tips:

— Keep personal information in a secure location, such as a safe or safety deposit box.

— Do not throw anything away with personal information on it, such as an invitation for a credit card; shred the documents instead.

— Do not give out personal information over the phone or in an e-mail.

— Monitor billing statements and account transactions.

— Protect your mailbox on a daily box; check the mail often.

— Protect PINs and passwords.

— Limit risks by keeping credit card numbers in a secure location.

“If something sounds too good to be true, then it is,” Terry added. “If you’re not sure, bring it to me or show the bank. The banks here in Mt. Vernon are very good with helping customers when they bring things in to them. And 99 percent of the time it’s going to be fake anytime you are asked to send money back.”

If seniors do suspect they are a victim of fraud or a crime, they should call the proper authorities immediately, he said.

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