“Hey, Grandpa,” says the caller on the phone. “I’ve been in an accident in another state. Can you please wire me some money so that I don’t have to tell Mom and Dad?” In an effort to support his grandson, the recipient of the call wires the money to his “grandson,” who turns out not to be his grandson at all. The caller is a con artist running a scam. Area police have received calls about four instances of this scenario within the past couple of months, leaving seniors swindled out of as much as $8,000. Callers pose as family members in need and may ask for bail money or legal fees to be wired to get them out of a sticky situation.

Now imagine having someone come to your door claiming to be cutting timber on the lot next door and asking for you to verify your property lines so they do not encroach upon them. While outside showing the visitor the lines, several other men enter your home and rob you.

Seniors are frequent targets of crime in the Richmond area via telephone, internet, mail and face to face. It’s often not in the nature of seniors to be skeptical, having grown up in times when a handshake or a man’s word was enough to seal a deal. Sadly enough, times have certainly changed, and everyone must be more leery of anyone who approaches them at home, through the mail or email and via telephone.

“Seniors must take the opportunity away from the criminals. We give them so many opportunities to make us victims,” advises Crime Prevention Specialist, Deputy Jim McLaughlin of the Hanover Sheriff’s Office. His advice when confronted with someone asking for money via phone, the front door or through the mail is to “Hang it up. Close it up. Tear it up.”

Covenant Woods retirement community is currently hosting a seminar entitled Recognize, Prevent, Report, Stop Fraud which is a four week series of classes that began on March 3rd. “We are very pleased to be offering this seminar to teach residents to recognize and prevent fraud before it happens,” said Meghan Horan, Director of Resident and Recreational Services at Covenant Woods. “It’s our hope that attendees will become experts themselves and, in turn, share what they have learned with their friends and family.” For information on future seminars contact Meghan at 569-8182.

Tips to Prevent Senior Fraud

• Don’t answer the phone if you don’t recognize the number on the caller ID. Let it go to your voicemail, and then you can decide if you wish to return the call.
• If you do answer the phone, make sure that you ask lots of questions of the caller if they are asking for money. If they are claiming to be family, ask them to answer a few questions that only a family member would know.
• Do not give out any personal information in person, on the phone or via the mail or email.
• Keep your home and car locked at all times, even if you are home or only gone from them for a short while.
• Mail checks/bills at the post office rather than leaving them in the mailbox to be picked up.
• Never verbally give your Social Security Number out in any situation. It could be overheard by someone with ill intentions.
• Carry only the cards that you need in your wallet. Leave those that you use infrequently at home and keep a two-sided photocopy of everything that you do carry in your wallet. In the event that your wallet is stolen or misplaced, all the numbers you will need to call will be in one place.