MARQUETTE — Scamming of elderly people knows no boundaries. With the connectivity of our world today your physical location is no longer a protective factor. At times we fall victim to assumptions of certain levels of safety in our communities and the not in my backyard mentality.

The harsh reality is many bad things are here, just not as visible until they appear in your email inbox or ring up your phone.

The scams I am talking about are commonly categorized as grandparents scams, IRS scams and sweepstakes scams.

Grandparents scams

According to the Consumer Protection Department of the Michigan Attorney General’s office, there are different variations of this scam which uses the “the distressed loved-one tactic”.

The scenario is a grandparent receives a frantic call from someone they think is their grandchild. They sound stressed. They need help now. They cannot ask anyone else. They have had an accident or need emergency car repairs. They ask the grandparent to immediately wire money to get them out of a jam. The caller might be embarrassed about their problem and ask the grandparents to keep it a secret. Some grandparents might answer, you had me from hello.

A variation of the scam may involve two scammers — the first calls and poses as a grandchild under arrest. The second, posing as some type of law enforcement officer, then gets on the phone with the grandparent and explains what fines need to be paid.

Something else to know about is what the FBI calls “virtual knapping”. This scenario is where the scammer makes a call, uses family information they have gathered from social media platforms, and says “I’ve kidnapped your grandson”. Followed by a request to send money and how. Images of an old-time movie come to mind. A pair of cement shoes are on the horizon if the ransom is not paid. Not a comedy, and not a thing funny about it.

A common theme of all versions of this scam is the caller’s request for the grandparent to wire money or to provide bank account routing numbers. Wiring money is like sending cash; there are no protections for the sender. Typically, there is no way you can reverse the transaction, trace the money, or recover payment from the telephone con artists.

IRS scams

A tax scammer’s goal is to steal money, take control of personal computers, or commit identity theft. People can avoid falling for an IRS scam knowing that the following are things that the IRS will never do:

≤ Call, text or email you and demand immediate payment.

≤ Demand payment without any chance to appeal or question the amount due.

≤ Threaten to have you arrested.

≤ Require a specific payment method, like a gift card, pre-paid debit card or wire transfer.

≤ Call, text, or email you and ask for your personal or financial information.

IRS phone scammers typically use a baiting strategy involving a check that has not been cashed, overdue tax debts, rebate eligibility, and avoidance of immediate legal action. Do not take the bait and do not open emails that pose as a trusted source, use part of an official logo, contain an urgent message, or fake “from” addresses.

Sweepstakes scams

I will look at one more scam category and then wind up with something brighter than this dark story so far. You may have received letters with bold statements “You may already be a winner!”. Ah, no, probably not. Sweepstakes are not only giving away prizes, but they are also trying to get you to buy their products or services

It is pitiful to even have to mention some of these tactics and preventive actions. Commonsense should prevail. That is the thing about “shoulds” they too are unpredictable. Are the elderly population more trustworthy and therefore easy targets? Perhaps. Does their age make them more vulnerable to persuasion and scare tactics? Perhaps. Might our elderly friends have been ashamed to admit they have taken advantage of in a phone call? Probably. Can we all do something to empower our elderly family, friends, and neighbors? Yes.

Let’s start with having the conversation. Talk about scenarios that might have happened to someone else. Talk about how people can prevent these types of scams. Ask your elderly friends, family and neighbors to let you know if any of this type of thing shows up for them or whether they have concerns to talk about.

At Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly, our visiting volunteers often hear that an important aspect of their relationships with their elderly friends is “we listen”. I continue to say there are never too many friendly relationships in our lives and equally never too many friendly conversations.

I am fond of action steps. Report scam attempts right here at home to the Marquette County Sherrif’s Department. A deputy is standing by, for real.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Contact leslie.bek@littlebrothers.org; 906-273-2575. LBFE Baraga, Houghton, Keweenaw, Ontonagon Counties Hancock Administration office 906-482-6944. houghton.littlebrothers.org.