Senior Scams to Watch Out For

June 17th, 2025 by admin

Scams on our citizens, especially our senior citizens, cost us multiple Billions of dollars annually. As we head into the Fall the calls and contacts are sure to increase. Be on the lookout for them and watch out for these scams, often targeted at seniors.

1. Grandchildren emailing their grandparents, telling them they need money wired to them. Grandparents do not realize that an email ostensibly from their grandchild’s email address may not be from them after all. An amazing number of grandparents never think to call the parents to find out if the grandchild is in need or not. This is by some estimates the single largest scam perpetrated on seniors.
2. You get a call in which the IRS demands payment of back taxes you did not know you owed. In fact, however, the IRS will never call to demand immediate payment, and it will not call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill.
3. The FBI locks up your computer because you have allegedly used it to look at an illegal website, and they demand money to unlock the screen. To find out more about these so-called ransomware scams, go to www.us-cert.gov/ncas/alerts/TA14-295A.
4. Internet pharmacies. Be very wary. Do not purchase medication from unlicensed online distributors, or those who sell medications without a prescription. Reputable online pharmacies will have a seal of approval called the Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Site (VIPPS) provided by the Association of Boards of Pharmacy in the United States. The VIPPS verification helps give you protection.
5. Lottery Scams. You are informed you have won the lottery. You did not know you were even eligible, but you are delighted to learn of your good fortune. To receive the winnings, however, you need to send in money to pay the taxes on the winnings and to pay other routine fees. The purported lottery official asks you for money to pay these seemingly legitimate expenses, or they ask for your social security number or your bank account number, or both. And they sound genuinely nice and professional. But this is almost certainly not on the up-and-up.
6. Sweepstakes Cons. This is like the lottery scams. They tell you that you need to settle with the tax authorities. But no legitimate sweepstakes company is going to ask you to do that. And you certainly do not have to share any banking information or social security information if it is legitimate. Remember, among other things, that the odds of your winning any legitimate contests are often nearly 200,000,000 to 1. And the odds of you winning a sweepstakes you did not enter are zero.
7. Investment opportunities. There are legitimate investment programs in which a company provides you with a free lunch or dinner. Just be cautious. Do not make any decisions on the spot. Always think about it over a few days. Ask your adult children or a trusted adviser what they think. And remember the adage: if it sounds too good to be true, it almost certainly is not true.

If you have fallen victim to a scam, the Better Business Bureau suggests you report it to the police. Other options include go to the Federal Trade Commission’s site at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov, or phone toll free at 1-877-382-4357. Other useful websites to assist you are www.scambusters.org, https://www.ic3.gov/; and www.bbb.org.

The single most important steps to take in all these situations: do not decide on the spot and ask a known credible source what they think.

REMEMBER: An informed choice is a smart choice.

Tags: lawyer, scam, seniors

Posted in: On the Way to the Courthouse