Seniors shouldn't be paranoid about potential fraudsters taking advantage of them, but they should certainly be wary.
That was the message delivered by Const. Janice Schoepp of the St. Albert RCMP to a handful of seniors who attended a scam alert workshop Wednesday at the St. Albert Funeral Home.
"There have been cons and scams in St. Albert," Schoepp said.
Most recent scams have been delivered via telephone, via the Internet and face-to-face by con artists who brazenly walked right up to the front door of their potential victims.
"You'd be surprised at how friendly people are when they are trying to get into your wallet and into your home," Schoepp said.
Schoepp outlined eight ways to recognize a scam, beginning with: "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."
People should exercise caution when asked to pay cash for any kind of business transaction. She told the seniors not to give confidential banking and credit card information to strangers and advised them to slow down the deal by asking for call-back information, or website data to prove the seller has verifiable information to back them up.
Some con artists will sound more excited than you are on the phone as they claim you have won a prize.
"I wish I could tell you how many people have told me they won a cruise, but it was a scam," she said.
Schoepp had also seen scamming letters that included a cheque for a large amount of money. The victim was asked to cash the cheque because the alleged owner of the cheque had some difficulty doing so. The victim was invited to keep a portion of the cheque, but not the entire amount.
"Those cheques are counterfeit. If you cash it and keep just a portion, you may be responsible for the entire loss to the bank. Sometimes they may even offer to send a courier to pick up the money. Isn't that nice of them? A courier to pick up your money," Schoepp said.
One audience member said she had been worried about a potential wrong-doer, who came to her door claiming to be a police detective. The man even showed her a badge, which appeared authentic, and asked to come in so he could inspect for drugs.
"And you let him in?" an alarmed Schoepp asked.
"Yes!" said the senior. "He said he was a policeman."
Schoepp used the example to explain that whoever comes to the door must have proper identification before you allow them to enter.
"Don't be pressured. It's important to talk to someone else, perhaps your son or daughter. You could ask them to wait and then go inside and phone the police. Always take the time to check. Even if you are anticipating them, maybe to fix your furnace, ask for identification," she said.
Grandma scam
Another senior asked about the so-called grandmother scam, which had been used to trick her neighbour.
Someone with a young-sounding voice had called the woman saying he was the woman's grandson. He said he was in serious trouble and needed cash. The call display on the seniors' telephone showed the call was made from Montreal. Most frightening, the caller somehow knew the grandson's name. With adrenalin pumping, the frightened woman wired the cash to the caller.
Schoepp confirmed that often the caller is asked to wire cash via Western Union. She had also heard another variation of the grandmother scam. In this version the senior asked the caller to provide the grandchild's name.
"To which the reply was, 'What! You have so many grandchildren you don't remember me?'" Schoepp said, stressing once again her advice to check, check, check before relinquishing cash or personal information.
"Why not get a number and say you'll call back? Then check with the youngster's mom," she said.
Schoepp stressed that everyone, not just seniors, needs to be wary about overly friendly-appearing strangers.
"A lot of people, very educated people, will say after the fact that they should have known better. But by arming yourself with knowledge you could help yourself and help your friends," she said.
For more information about protecting yourself from telephone scams visit www.phonebusters.com.
