Scams targeting the elderly; how to fight back
ELMIRA, N.Y. (WETM) – May is Older Americans Month and most scams target senior citizens. So, how can you be sure the person you’re talking to isn’t a scammer?
“I think there’s a combination. One is the embarrassment, I’m older, I should’ve known better. I shouldn’t have fallen victim to something I knew was probably too good to be true,” said Chemung County Sheriff Bill Schrom.
18 News Director Jim Turpin sat down with Chemung County Sheriff Bill Schrom and Beth Stranges of the Chemung County Department of Aging & Long Term Care to talk about these scams. Both departments use social media to connect with the community about potential scams.
“We put out news releases any time we’re getting an influx of certain complaints just to remind the public these scams are occurring again. What to do to protect themselves,” said Schrom.
Chemung County Dept. of Aging to participate in Older Americans Month
There are also a few important things to remember when encountering a scammer.
“Don’t send money to anybody. Whether it’s a friend or family, think about it. Don’t just respond. If someone’s calling you, don’t you know they want you to hurry up and act as if it’s urgent. Hang up the phone or don’t answer the phone. That’s the other part for scammers that are calling. Lots of people are out there just trying to get a live voice or someone to call because once they get you on the phone, they’re just going to make you very nervous,” said Director of the Chemung County Department of Aging & Long Term Care Beth Stranges.
“No law enforcement agency is going to ask you to pay bail over the phone number one. Two, no law enforcement agency is ever going to refuse you the opportunity to speak to the person and if somebody’s calling for bail, it’s generally the person who got arrested. Always report it. Get that information out there because you might be alerting us to something we’re not aware of and we might be able to help somebody else out before they get scammed,” said Schrom.
Some of the most common scams are with fake contractors.
“If you have somebody arbitrarily just show up at your house and just say ‘Hey, I happen to be in the area. We’re doing a job, you know. It looks like you need your roof redone or your brick refaced or your driveway done; those should be major red flags especially if you haven’t seen anybody actually in the neighborhood working,” said Schrom.
Other scams like credit card skimmers target everyone, so be sure to keep an eye out the next time you’re pumping gas or paying for groceries.
The full interview with Sheriff Bill Schrom and Beth Stranges will be aired in its entirety on ‘Talk of the Tiers’ on Sunday, May 12 after Meet The Press.
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