Helping local senior citizens identify common phone, email and internet scams was the topic of a recent presentation conducted by a Rep. Jake Banta (R-4th).The event was held at the Corry Community Center, 15 S. First Ave.
Rep Jake Banta (R-4th) was in town on Thursday to host a presentation at the Corry Community Center, 15 S. First Ave. The presentation on scams targeting senior citizens and how to avoid getting taken advantage of.
“We are from the generation that when the phone rings, you answer it, so it can be easy for us to get scammed,” said Banta.
The majority of the presentation was then handed off to Senior Supervisory Special Agent Alan McGill from the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office of Dave Sunday. McGill provided both facts and personal anecdotes on the subject to bring awareness to those in attendance of common scams.
Common scams such as senior ID theft, social ID theft, child ID theft, medical ID theft and tax ID theft were listed as some the most common schemes to beware of in regards to public concern. Scams generate around $10.3 billion of loses a year from their victims, with data breeches being fairly common, according to McGill.
Other schemes include false charities or contributions, lottery scams, family emergency ploys, credit card/bank account fake warnings, fraudulent pharmacy/healthcare calls, government grant scams and Nigerian 419 scams (also know as the classic Nigerian Prince scam).
Factors listed that lead to these scams include information being left in the open, failure to shred documents with vital information, glancing over someone’s shoulder to probe for information or unsecured mail.
McGill stated that these scams fund terrorists, are tied to organized crime, impacts the economy, effectives personal relationships, raises stress and leads to everyone paying higher prices for goods.
“Usually it begins with sudden contact out of nowhere, they send letters with worrying language and they try to rush you,” said McGill. “They try to confuse you and also raise your emotions by posing as a family member or someone in need. Asking for payment in gift card is also a major red flag.”
Conventional means of scamming such as mailboxes, general theft, pickpocketing, stolen wallets, a trusted source leaking your information, computer hacking, and burglary were cited as avenues for scams to be aware of.
The factor of mass surveillance and its lack of security in regards to privacy was also mentioned as a risk. Many types of public surveillance cameras and AI voice copying were also mentioned as contributing factors to breeches in personal information that could lead to being scammed. Certain business platforms have a reputation of being fraudulent on the average. For instance, McGill stated that 97% of all online pharmacies are scams. Drones are now being used in scams as well for surveillance and theft of information of targeted individuals.
Skimming devices have also become an issue which use radio frequency identification (RFID). These devices can read data off of cards and electronic devices that lead to data breeches. Debit and credit cards with tap pay (the internet bars on a card) or chips are at risk from these devices. McGill suggested getting blocking wallets or sleeves for card storage to protect against such devices. He also warned that that no protection is 100% effective.
“They can copy your voice in four to eight seconds now, and they can find your likeness all over the internet which can lead to identity fraud,” said McGill. “They can hack your phone or use fake numbers that are familiar to you to make the scam more believable.”
McGill warned the audience that if they suspect fraudulent behavior or a scam to not engage with the person trying to scam them, as they measure possible victims by their level of engagement. He also advised against engaging in combative behavior which can make you more of a target.
It was also mentioned by both Banta and McGill that there isn’t enough law enforcement to combat the problem properly as scams are widespread and the number of officers dedicated to scams are low in comparison to other issues that law enforcement agencies face.
“A team of four officers dedicated to scams can relieve up to 41,000 complaints or more in a year’s time,” said McGill. “Scammers always find a new way to target people and it adds up quickly when trying to enforce it. We aren’t trying to scare anyone, we just want to make you all aware of the signs of scam so you can detect it before they get your information.”
The most recent common scam trends mentioned were jury duty scams with threats about missing a nonexistent summons, toll booth camera scams, and an IRS scam about being unable to process bank information for an income tax return.
McGill closed the presentation by talking about the many ways people can protect themselves and react to a scam if detected.
“You can freeze your credit to avoid hits to your credit score, use blocker wallets or sleeves, use account alerts, use uncommon information for passcodes and limit where your information is on the internet,” said McGill. “Regular checks on accounts such as your bank account or investment accounts can help as well. Banks check their ATMs around once an hour, so they tend to detect data breeches before you do if it involves an ATM.”
At the conclusion of the presentation, Banta thanked McGill for his assistance and information on the subject. Banta and McGill then discussed the presented information with the residents in attendance in which personal concerns and general inquiries on the subject were discussed.
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