CONCORD – In connection with a nationwide effort to bring attention to elder fraud scams, United States Attorney Jane E. Young made the following statement today, “It is paramount that we protect our elder adults from scams targeted to steal their hard-earned assets. A critical tool in combatting the scammers is education and available resources for our elder adults to access when they are asked to send money or provide personal information over the phone or via email. Scams to take advantage and exploit our seniors can take many forms, but they share a common theme—to separate seniors from the money and property they have worked their lives to obtain,” said U.S. Attorney Young. Some of the more prevalent schemes are:
- Social Security Administration Imposters – Imposters contact prospective victims by telephone and falsely claim that the victim’s Social Security number has been suspended because of suspicious activity, or because it has been involved in a crime. They ask to confirm the victim’s Social Security number, or they may say they need to withdraw money from the victim’s bank and to store it on gift cards or in other unusual ways for “safekeeping.” Victims may be told their accounts will be seized or frozen if they fail to act quickly.
- Romance Scams—Imposters use dating sites, social networking sites, and chat rooms to target unsuspecting seniors. They create fake profiles to build online relationships, and…
