Special post today. If you have an elderly parent or relative, please show them the three links below (or, if they’re not online, print these pages out and show them to them.
Fraud: 5 scams aimed at the elderly
Top 10 scams targeting seniors
Yesterday I became aware of a situation where an elderly person was called by “Publishers Clearing House” and was told she had won $1.5 million. She was told to go to the nearest Kroger and Western Union a “processing fee” of $400 for the prize. When she replied she didn’t have $400, the caller knocked the fee down to $200. The elderly person called me from Kroger, not knowing what to do when the clerk at Kroger refused to process the transaction and told her it was a scam. “Thank the clerk, get in the taxi, go home, and be glad you only lost the cost of the cab ride,” I said.
People who prey on seniors like this are the scum of the earth.
When you receive calls from unknown numbers, don’t answer them and instead Google the number to see if it’s been reported as a scam number.
Be aware that once a person falls for one of these scams, they get added to a list of suckers that scammers sell to each other. Therefore, they are more likely to be preyed on again and need to be extra careful.
Never give out your debit card number or checking account information to a person who calls you that you did not previously have a business relationship with. If you did give it out, cancel the card or account immediately.
I am calling Kroger Corporate this afternoon and make sure that clerk gets recognized for protecting one of her customers. If one of my Little Rock readers can get by the Kroger at Markham and Rodney Parham and thank the clerk in person, I would really appreciate it.