Police are urging residents to report all fraudulent calls and texts as criminals cast a wide net, leaving older adults highly susceptible.
ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — A wide variety of scams are surging across St. Charles County, law enforcement officials warn. While the criminals behind the screens and phones aren’t picky about whom they contact, older adults are proving much more susceptible to the schemes, where all it takes is one click or one phone call to lose a lifetime of savings.
Sophia Bax, 82, recently trusted her gut when she found herself on the receiving end of a scam text.
“I got a text from and it said it was from Amazon and that I had ordered almost a thousand dollars worth of stuff and if you did not order this, press one,” Bax said.
The scammer tried to convince Bax that he was looking for the people who had fraudulently purchased the items in her name. As he attempted to extract her Social Security number and banking information, Bax refused to hand it over and began asking more questions. That is when the caller turned hostile.
“And he said, “Well, I’m going to send two guys to your apartment.” Uh-huh. And he said to pick up the money. And that’s when I hung up,” Bax said.
According to Bax, the scammer was trying to take $30,000 from her, but because she recognized the red flags, she never gave him her information.
Advocates for older adults say these types of high-pressure tactics are common, and the elderly are frequently targeted because of a generational digital divide.
The executive director of New Perspective Senior Living Erin Rightmyer, the facility where Bax resides, said, “Technology is advancing so quickly and for many of them keeping up with sort of the scams that are out there and the you know the technology that’s out there to scam them is really challenging for them. But also I think that they’re in a place of vulnerability.”
St. Charles County police said it is not just phone scams plaguing the region. Investigators are also seeing con artists impersonate law enforcement or government officials. Other prevalent schemes include “family emergency” scams, where a caller pretends to be a relative in distress asking for money, as well as romance scams.
Police are urging the public to remain vigilant and avoid interacting with unsolicited requests.
“If somebody calls you and is requesting funds, requesting money, requesting to access to your bank account then hang the phone up. Just stop the chat. If you get the emails of such a thing, the virus pop-ups, don’t engage that. Don’t be clicking on attachments”, St. Charles County police Det. Sgt Jeff Ochs said.
Here are their fraud prevention tips:
- Never send money, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or wire transfers to someone you have not personally verified.
- Be skeptical of unsolicited phone calls, text messages, emails, or social media messages requesting money or personal information.
- Never provide banking information, passwords, Social Security numbers, or verification codes to someone who contacts you unexpectedly.
- If someone claims to be from law enforcement, your bank, or a government agency, hang up and call the organization using a verified phone number.
- Discuss suspicious requests with a trusted family member or friend before taking action.
- Remember: Legitimate law enforcement agencies and government offices will never demand payment by gift card, cryptocurrency, or wire transfer.
St. Charles County police are asking residents who believe they have been targeted by a scam to contact them immediately, even if they did not lose any money. Investigators say tracking this information is vital to identifying local trends and warning the broader public.
Click Here For The Original Source.
