New York State Police are warning the public about a recent increase in scams targeting seniors. Troop A, based in Western New York, handled 442 fraud cases in 2021 and 113 through March. It is estimated that more than $1 million has been exchanged from victims in state police cases in 2021 and $500,000 so far in 2022.
The Criminal Investigations Bureau continues to work on these cases, but most of the time the suspects are out of the country and due to the complexity of the cases, the victims will not receive the money they sent.
These scams include a few different scenarios:
¯ The caller claims to be a family member and is ill or has been arrested. This caller will put the urgency to help them and not contact other families.
¯ The caller claims to be a law enforcement official with a family member under arrest demanding bail or funds for them.
¯ The caller pretends to be law enforcement claiming that your social security number or bank accounts have been “compromise”. The caller will ask for important information to “Check” the identity of the person they are calling, get victim information, including social security number and bank account numbers.
¯ Emails or texts with an urgent message stating that your social security number, bank account, cable provider, Apple account, Amazon account, Netflix account has been “compromise” and requires immediate attention.
¯ The police do not contact the family for bail money.
¯ Police departments do not ask for money to settle social security or bank accounts
¯ Law enforcement agencies do not send text messages requesting account information as part of an investigation.
In most scenarios, the caller will advise the victim to obtain a specific amount of money in several ways, including:
¯ Purchase gift cards at popular stores such as Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, Target, and other major retail stores, then scan the caller over the phone or send the barcode on the back of the gift card to the caller. These gift card increments can range from $50 to $500.
¯ Sending cash by courier in a box wrapped in some way that the caller will explain, usually wrapped in foil or in a heavily taped wrapper.
¯ Purchase of Bitcoin or Crypto Currency with a QR code provided by the caller.
If you receive a call that you think is a scam:
¯ Resist the urge to act immediately, no matter how dramatic the story.
¯ Verify Caller ID — Ask questions that a Stanger couldn’t answer. Check with a family member to see if the information is true.
¯ Do not send cash, gift cards or money transfers. Once the scammer has collected the money, there is no more!
¯ Do not give your personal bank details by e-mail or telephone and do not connect to bank accounts as instructed by the caller (Screen Mirroring).
If you have relatives or elderly people in your family, take the time to explain these scams to them.
State Police reported that the Criminal Investigations Bureau continues to work on these cases, but most of the time the suspects are out of the country and due to the complexity of the cases, the victims will not receive the money they receive. they sent.
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