MILTON — Kim Purvis, a crime prevention specialist with the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, regularly hears about senior citizens targeted by scams.
This week, Purvis shared advice on how residents can avoid such scams during the first ‘Lunch and Learn’ session at the Guy Thompson Community Center.
Purvis also took the time to spread awareness with those unable to attend Wednesday’s event.
Here are her tips:
1. Tell loved ones about ‘family bait’ scams. “A lot of times our senior citizens group … fall victim to these scams because, (con artists) will … use family members as bait.”
For instance, a con-artist might say a loved one has been arrested, and the senior citizen needs to pay his or her bail.
Purvis said seniors will often react emotionally, which leads to negative consequences, especially if they realize they’ve been scammed.
“They feel more guilty about it a lot of times and they don’t tell anybody about it, and it becomes a larger problem,” she said.
2. Let someone know you may be scammed before taking action. Senior citizens can rely on multiple resources if they feel scammed.
These include relatives, close friends, law enforcement or a senior citizen organization.
“Anybody you can talk to … and (who is) able to point you in the right direction, so you don’t become a victim” is helpful, Purvis said.
3. Ask before acting. Purvis encourages seniors to check the “facts” when presented with a possible phone scam. Do not take the con artist’s word for granted.
“Verify the source and ask questions,” she said.
4. Know the facts about lotteries. Whether being informed by phone or email of potentially earning a large sum from a foreign country, Purvis said there are a couple of important things to consider.
“A lot of times people don’t realize that it is illegal to play foreign lottery,” she said. “So, number one, if you win in a foreign lottery, it’s a scam.
Second, Purvis said potential winners should never have to pay taxes or handling fees upfront to receive lottery funds.
“That is kind of a dead giveaway that is a scam,” she said. “You should never have to pay money to get money.”
5. Avoid Internal Revenue Service and healthcare scams.
IRS scams, such as a con-artist stating someone owes back taxes, are common.
“The IRS scam was huge this past tax season, where they call and say you owe money to the IRS,” Purvis said.
When faced with this situation, in which a person will claim to be a debt collector for either the IRS or an health care provider, Purvis said to first politely decline and block the number.
“Call back to the actual IRS number and verify that you owe money,” she said. “The IRS is never going to call and solicit you.”
ONLINE
See http://bit.ly2aOAeu1 for more information on the center’s activities for senior citizens
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: 5 ways to avoid scams: Santa Rosa crime prevention specialist shares tips (VIDEO)