Beware of New Scams Targeting Dakota County Seniors

Just in time for the New Year, two new types of scams are preying on Dakota County seniors.  While the first is simply a variation on an old scheme, the second is a sophisticated new type of phone scam in which the perpetrator appears to be calling from a local number in the same Dakota County city as the intended victim.

New Scam #1:  Medical Alert Scam

Almost everyone I know has seen the TV ad featuring an elderly woman who falls and can’t get up.  She uses a “Medical Alert” device draped around her neck to summon help.  Legitimate manufacturers offer these devices for sale in stores and by mail order, and they can save lives.

Unfortunately, scammers are now preying on senior citizens, offering “free Medical Alert” devices over the phone.  The scams are aimed at those who live alone and, based on what I am hearing from constituents, the scammers seem to be targeting elderly residents of northern Dakota County.

Often, the callers claim they are with Medicare, or tell you that your “free” medical alert system is ready for pickup if you “press 1.” Once you press a button, though, you will begin to receive more unwanted calls and requests to convince you to disclose your personal information.

The caller may seek to gain your confidence by claiming that a family member has paid for the alert system and that you merely need to provide your information for delivery or setup. People who continue on this path are then asked for more personal information, such as a credit card number or Social Security number.

New Scam #2:  “Spoofing” Using Local Phone Numbers

“Spoofing” doesn’t sound so bad, right?  But it is the most nefarious new type of scam out there right now, and it has become even nastier in recent months. 

A readily-available type of computer software now allows scammers, many of whom are located in foreign countries, to “spoof” a different number on Caller ID, making it appear the scammer is calling from a number based here in the United States.  This has taken a scary turn lately, in which scammers make it appear they are calling from a phone number in the very same community as their intended victim. 

In addition to making the scammer appear more trustworthy, because he now seems to be local, the fact that the caller appears to live only a few miles away from the victim can be intimidating, even scary.

When my mom got one of these calls at her home in Inver Grove Heights in December, her Caller ID showed the caller was also in Inver Grove Heights.  The caller pretended to be a roofer and said he was performing a roofing job on the same street on which my mom lives.  He said he had a special deal on roofing that he wanted to offer her.  Fortunately for my mom, it was -20 degrees outside and the roof of every home on her street was covered deep in snow.  The caller, likely based in some country in Eastern Europe or Africa where most of these scams originate, obviously didn’t know the local weather conditions, and my mom was on to him.

What are likely signs of a scam?

The most common tell-tale signs among all of these scam callers is they initiate contact with you and they eventually try to obtain private banking or Social Security information over the phone to use it to steal money, or they try to get the victim to wire funds using a company like MoneyGram.

How can I protect myself?  While Minnesota has passed tougher laws to punish scammers, the best case scenario is to avoid the scam in the first place.  Below is advice from Attorney General Lori Swanson’s office on steps you can take to prevent fraud:

• When in doubt, don’t give it out. If you are not sure who you’re dealing with, don’t give out any personal information. No legitimate organization, including Medicare, will call to ask for your bank account number or Social Security number.
• Just hang up. The longer you spend on the line with a phony operator, the more likely it is you will get another scam call. Be cautious of cold-calls that claim “no strings attached.” If you receive a call that seems fishy, just hang up.
• Beware of “free” offers. Remember, callers offer free trials to get you to purchase some good or service down the road. Ask yourself: why would a company give me a medical alert system for free with no hope that I would make an additional purchase down the road? It wouldn’t. Remember, if an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is.
• Don’t rely on caller ID. Criminals often scramble the number appearing on your caller ID with “spoofing” technology that tricks your caller ID system into displaying a fake number. Even a supposed “local number” associated with this scam that shows up on your caller ID system will likely lead to a dead end.