March 22, 2021
From the Sheriff’s Desk
DELHI, NY – With the recent release of the $1400 Economic Impact Payment by the U.S. Treasury and IRS, Delaware County Sheriff Craig S. DuMond urges residents to be aware of the endless scams that are being committed by criminal everyday through phone calls, text messages, email and other electronic means, including fraudulent websites.
Although the scams often tend to target the elderly and those facing financial hardship, anyone can fall victim to these scams if they are not cautious.
The most recent scams include fraudulent offers claiming to assist individuals in obtaining COVID vaccines, COVID-19 Stimulus payments and more. Others involve callers fraudulently representing themselves as representatives from Medicare, the Social Security Administration or IRS who may threaten you and demand immediate payment to avoid arrest or other legal action.
Additionally, the number of fraudulent unemployment claims has increased tremendously in the past year. Unsuspecting employees and employers throughout our county have been receiving notices from New York State Department of Labor (NYS DOL) that alert them to unemployment benefit claims which had been fraudulently filed. Criminals are using real Delaware County resident’s identities to file fraudulent unemployment insurance claims to illegally collect benefits in the name of individuals who are not unemployed. Sheriff DuMond urges everyone to promptly report unemployment fraud to their employer, the NYS DOL at https://webapps.labor.ny.gov/dews/ui/fraud/report-fraud.shtm
Sheriff DuMond added that according to the National Council on Aging (NCOA), the top 10 scams targeting seniors include the following:
Medicare — In scams involving Medicare, fraudsters pose as Medicare representatives to get seniors to give them their personal information, such as their Medicare identification number. The fraudster uses this information to bill Medicare for fraudulent services and then pockets the money.
Counterfeit prescription drugs — As prices for prescription drugs increase, seniors look the internet to find cheaper prices for their medications. Unfortunately, fraudsters are aware of this and set up websites that advertise cheap prescription drugs which are usually counterfeit. Seniors who unknowingly purchase these counterfeit drugs soon realize they have been duped when the drugs do not provide any relief from their medical condition or even cause additional health problems.
Funerals — In one type of funeral scheme, fraudsters use obituaries to find out information about the deceased in attempts to extort money from family members or grieving spouses. They claim the deceased has an outstanding debt that must be paid immediately. Those close to the deceased are usually in a vulnerable state and are more likely to pay the fraudulent debt. In another scheme, dishonest funeral directors might try to deceive the elderly by capitalizing on their unfamiliarity of funeral costs and sell them unnecessary services, such as a casket when the deceased is going to be cremated.
Anti-aging products — With society putting so much emphasis on physical appearance, many individuals feel the need to find treatments or products that claim to help them conceal their age. Scammers advertise anti-aging products that are either worthless or harmful. Some products might contain materials that can be harmful, yet touted by scammers as being as effective as a brand name product, such as Botox. Scammers might also advertise products as being effective and natural, but in reality the product has no anti-aging effects.
Telephones — Phone scams are the most common scams used against the elderly. Scammers might get seniors to wire or send them money by claiming to be a family member who is in trouble and needs money. They might also solicit money from the elderly by posing as a fake charity, especially after a natural disaster.
Internet — Since the elderly are usually not as savvy with handling emails and surfing the internet, they are easy targets for scammers. Victims have been tricked into downloading fake anti-virus software that allows scammers access to personal information on their computers. Seniors might also respond to phishing emails sent by scammers asking them to update their bank or credit card information on a phony website.
Investments —Many seniors plan for retirement or manage their savings after they finish working, which makes them more vulnerable to become victims of investment schemes. Fraudsters can take advantage of victims by posing as financial advisors to get access to their retirement funds and savings. Once they have access to the funds, they take their money and run.
Mortgages — Elderly victims who own their homes can be valuable assets to a scammer. Scammers might send out fraudulent, yet official-looking, letters to victims that list the supposed assessed value of their home. For a fee, the scammers inform them that the value of their home can be reassessed. Scammers might also approach victims about providing home repairs and pressure them to take out equity to use as payment for the repairs.
Sweepstakes/lotteries —This scheme usually involves contacting elderly victims either by mail or telephone, and informing them that they have won a prize of some sort, but must pay a fee to obtain the prize. Scammers send a fake check to the senior to deposit in their bank account knowing it will take some time for the bank to reject the check. Meanwhile, the victim has sent the scammer money through wire transfer for fees or taxes on the prize. The victim soon realizes that he was scammed when the check doesn’t clear.
The grandparent scam — This scam is extremely deceptive because it plays on the elderly’s emotions. In a grandparent scam, a scammer calls an older person and pretends to be their grandchild. They ask them if they know who is calling, and when the grandparent guesses the name of one of their grandchildren, they pretend to be that grandchild. The scammer tells the grandparent that they are in some sort of financial bind and asks if they can send money using Western Union or MoneyGram to help them out. The scammer asks the grandparent not to tell anyone about their situation. Once the scammer receives the money, he continues to contact the grandparent and asks them to send more money.
We have all received “robocalls” that appear as local phone numbers on our phone’s caller ID screen or may even appear as a legitimate phone number from the respective governmental agency the caller claims to be calling from. Do not be fooled! Criminals are using what is known as caller ID “spoofing” – deliberately falsifying the information transmitted to your Caller ID display to disguise their real identity and location. For example, your caller ID may indicate the call originated in Washington, D.C, or from a local government office, but in reality the call may have been originated from a foreign country. There is a reason why these callers are obscuring their true identities and location by use of “spoofed” phone numbers; they are predators trying to scam you! Legitimate telemarketers are required to transmit or display their phone number and the name and/or the phone number of the company they’re representing. The display must include a phone number that you can call during regular business hours to ask that the company no longer call you.
If you receive such a call, do not confirm your identity for the caller or provide the caller with any personal identifying information. Terminate the call. If you believe the call may have been a legitimate call from a governmental entity, independently obtain the phone number for that entity and call them back to verify if they had contacted you. Do not re-dial the number which you received the original call from.
If you receive an unexpected call from someone claiming to be a representative from the Social Security Administration, IRS or Medicare be very cautious; it is very likely a scam. Official Social Security, IRS and Medicare representatives normally do not call you unexpectedly. Official representatives will not threaten you with arrest or to suspend your Social Security number; they will not demand immediate payment from you or require payment by cash, gift card, pre-paid debit card, or wire transfer.
The criminals are constantly adapting and changing their tactics to coincide with current on-going events as a means of luring in more victims. These constant changes require each of us to take additional precautions and research who we are communicating with, whether by phone or online, and to remain even more vigilant to safeguard personal identifying and financial account information, as well as to take the time to monitor the activities of vulnerable family members to help ensure that they do not fall victim to these predators. Telephone scammers are very good at what they do and may imply that they work for a company you trust. Be extremely cautious, think before you act and don’t fall for it.
I remind you to never verify your personal identification or financial account information for unknown, unsolicited callers or provide that information to unsolicited online sources. Frequently update your computer or smartphone’s operating system, virus software and periodically change your user names, passwords and PINS for online accounts, especially bank accounts; place a free fraud alert on accounts with the three credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion and Equifax); periodically obtain a free credit report from annualcreditreport.com; report the identity theft to the FTC at identitytheft.gov; file a report with your local police department; and report a misused Social Security number. Finally, when communicating with unknown individuals online, review their use of the written language. Be alert for unusual grammar, vocabulary and sentence structure in their written communications; it can indicate the use of translation software by criminals that are profiting from operating a criminal enterprise from a foreign country with little risk of being brought to justice.”
You can visit the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office website for links that contain other tips or visit the various governmental websites to learn more about current scams:
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0060-10-things-you-can-do-avoid-fraud.
https://www.irs.gov/compliance/criminal-investigation/tax-fraud-alerts
https://www.ftc.gov/coronavirus/scams-consumer-advice
https://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/consumer-alerts/fraud-alert-covid-19-scams
Standing in Service,
Sheriff Craig S. DuMond
DELAWARE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
