Joe the Plumber - To Flush The System ... More scams aim to ensnare Brevard seniors - Their ingenuity is boundless, Archer said. (Jul 2, 2012) ...

Joe the Plumber - To Flush The System ... More scams aim to ensnare Brevard seniors - Their ingenuity is boundless, Archer said. (Jul 2, 2012) ...
Image by marsmet524 Not a day goes by that Assistant State Attorney Phil Archer’s office doesn’t hear about some type of fraud targeting Brevard residents. It’s so pervasive on the Space Coast that the office has added an attorney, Laura Moody, to pick up cases related to elder fraud and coordinate with local law enforcement for successful prosecution. Archer hopes to expand the elder services unit to help anyone who’s a victim. But punishing or even finding con artists can be difficult, as many are based out of state or country, using phony names and addresses. Their ingenuity is boundless, Archer said. . ........***** All images are copyrighted by their respective authors ........ . ............................................................................................................................................................................................ . .....item 1).... Florida Today ... <a href="http://www.floridatoday.com" rel="nofollow">www.floridatoday.com</a> ... More scams aim to ensnare Brevard seniors Amount lost to con artists rises 12% since 2008 to $ 2.9 billion a year . .................................. img code photo ... Air Force veteran Donald Sammis, 83, of Titusville <a href="http://cmsimg.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=A9&amp;Date=20120702&amp;Category=NEWS01&amp;ArtNo=307020016&amp;Ref=AR&amp;MaxW=640&amp;Border=0&amp;More-scams-aim-ensnare-Brevard-seniors" rel="nofollow">cmsimg.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=A9&amp;...</a> Air Force veteran Donald Sammis, 83, of Titusville got a call from from his 'granddaughter,' claiming to be in trouble and in need of money. It was a scam, and he didn't fall for it. / CRAIG RUBADOUX/FLORIDA TODAY .................................. . 8:18 AM, Jul 2, 2012 Written by Britt Kennerly FLORIDA TODAY FILED UNDER News Local News <a href="http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20120702/NEWS01/307020016/More-scams-aim-ensnare-Brevard-seniors?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Home&amp;nclick_check=1" rel="nofollow">www.floridatoday.com/article/20120702/NEWS01/307020016/Mo...</a> Alarm bells rang along with the phone when Donald Sammis got a call from a woman who claimed to be his granddaughter and said she needed $ 100,000 to get out of trouble in Las Vegas. Something was wrong, all right: The person on the other end of the line wasn’t his granddaughter, a college student in Jacksonville. Not long into the conversation, enough red flags flew that the retired Air Force veteran, 83, guessed he was a scam target. By the time the con artist’s supposed attorney, in a follow-up call, told Sammis he had two hours to wire the money to make the charges against his “granddaughter” go away, there was no doubt. Still, Sammis was concerned and angry enough that he reported the call to Titusville police. “Whenever I hear of any person pulling a fast one on old folks, whether it’s a grandson stealing jewels or cars or kids having a party at grandma’s house, violence comes to mind,” the Titusville man said. “Nobody got scammed this time around, but I’m close with my money.” Sadly, many seniors aren’t that savvy. The fast-growing grandparent ruse is one of countless scams targeting older Americans, who lose an estimated $ 2.9 billion a year to financial abuse — an increase of 12 percent from 2008 — according to a recent study by MetLife. Not a day goes by that Assistant State Attorney Phil Archer’s office doesn’t hear about some type of fraud targeting Brevard residents. It’s so pervasive on the Space Coast that the office has added an attorney, Laura Moody, to pick up cases related to elder fraud and coordinate with local law enforcement for successful prosecution. Archer hopes to expand the elder services unit to help anyone who’s a victim. But punishing or even finding con artists can be difficult, as many are based out of state or country, using phony names and addresses. Their ingenuity is boundless, Archer said. And for victimized seniors, fear kicks in. “For every one person willing to come forward and report their experience to law enforcement, there are probably 10 or 15 who won’t,” Archer said. ......................................................... ----- Report suspected scams Several local agencies can assist consumers who think they are victims of fraudulent activity, said Assistant State Attorney Phil Archer. • Elder Helpline: 800-963-5337 • Aging Matters in Brevard (formerly Community Services Council): 321-639-8770 • State attorney’s office: 321-617-7510 • Florida Attorney General: 866-966-7226 (in Florida) • Medicare: 866-357-6677 • SHINE (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders): 800-963-5337 ----- Ongoing scams • Letters from the International Lotto Commission or other agency, advising the recipient has won millions of dollars but must pay a fee to get it. • Email from someone who wants to buy something you have placed for sale on Craigslist, but can’t come by to pick it up and will have someone else come later. They send a cashier’s check and “accidentally” send too much. They then email and ask the seller to wire them the excess. The cashier’s check proves to be worthless. • A “grandchild” or other young relative claims they’re in a jam and needs money wired to them. Variations: Email from a friend or relative who has lost their money and needs cash wired to them immediately. Scammer steals real email addresses and sends the note to everyone on the victims’ contact lists. • Contractors who take deposits but never return to do work. • Offers to be a “mystery shopper,” where victims are “hired” to deposit checks in their banks that turn out to be worthless after the “shopper” has wired money to an address supplied by the “employer.” ...................................................... Contact Kennerly at 321-242-3692, bkennerly@floridatoday.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/bybrittkennerly. Page 1 of 3 . . ............................................................................................................................................................................................. . Pag 2 of 3 (Page 2 of 3) “They’re afraid it makes them look stupid, like they can’t survive on their own. It’s a huge impediment for law enforcement. Seniors’ biggest fear is that a family member will decide they can’t manage their own affairs, take over their finances, make them move in with them or move them into a retirement home.” In Brevard County, one-fifth of the population is older than 65. Potential exploitation comes in myriad forms. The state attorney’s office receives complaints about everything from sham sweepstakes and lotteries and bogus home repairs to fraudulent financial products and services. While Archer’s not sure there are more scams than ever, there are definitely more ways to perpetrate them. Between smartphones, computers and regular mail, “there’s so many ways to reach out and touch you,” he said. “It just changes with technology,” he said. “It used to be the Nigerian scam by mail. Now it’s email or text. We get it at our office every day, too, someone who wants to put $ 16 million in my bank account because I’m trustworthy and loyal and all that good stuff.” Archer and other experts say it’s crucial to remain vigilant about one’s finances and personal information and skeptical of anything or anyone that requires giving out that information. The grandparent scam, for one, is growing in popularity. Members of a support group for former NASA employees and Rotary Club members have recently reported getting such calls, Archer said. For Sammis, tip-offs were plentiful, including the $ 100,000 payoff: “Nothing in the world involves that kind of money right away unless it’s illegal,” he said. Offers to help seniors with Medicaid, Medicare or Social Security problems for a fee are increasing and are bogus, too: There is no charge for these services and no one from those agencies will call to ask for personal information. Another ongoing scam: demand for payment of a past-due loan. Maria and Jose Montufar of Palm Bay recently got a call from someone who informed Maria that her husband had never repaid a payday loan. The company needed $ 600 to keep the matter out of court, she said. Page 2 of 3 . . ............................................................................................................................................................................................. . Page 3 of 3 (Page 3 of 3) “They were very aggressive and pushy; gave me a case number they said we’d need to settle it,” she said. “They said, ‘Your husband is in plenty of trouble, lady.’ I told them that my husband is retired and that we don’t do those kinds of things.” She reported it to Palm Bay police, but, wanting to let the con artists know she hadn’t been fooled, called back the next day. She was told they’d settle for $ 400. She didn’t pay it and let them know she was onto them. Montufar, 66, said she never thought such things could happen in Brevard County. “I could imagine it in South Florida; Broward or Dade counties,” she said. “But it could happen anywhere, and I don’t want it to happen to anybody around here. You’d be surprised what people our age would do to stay out of trouble.” That kind of trusting nature, Archer said, is what traps seniors from all backgrounds. “But what I’ve found over 28 years of doing this is that lawyers, accountants and doctors get taken advantage of, too,” he said. Mary Pat Brennan, 83, is now so wary of scammers that “it’s like I don’t trust anybody anymore,” she said. It started earlier this year with a call from a man who told her she’d won $ 500 million. He wanted her to meet him at Walmart to claim her prize. “He told me as soon as I gave him a $ 350 money order, I could go into Walmart and collect my money,” said Brennan, a resident of Indian River Colony Club in Viera. “What a dumb story. I played along with it at first. Then at the end, when he said, ‘Can you meet me there at 3 p.m. today?’ I said, ‘You’re a scam artist. Don’t ever call me again,’ ” and hung up. But the next day, and every day since, she’s received between two and 17 calls from Jamaican-based numbers. Police told Brennan they can’t pursue action and her cable company says they can’t block the calls. “They told me the only thing I can do is change my number,” she said. “That makes me mad. Why should I have to inconvenience myself, just to get rid of them?” It makes her sad, too. “I’m from a generation that thinks everyone could be nice,” said Brennan. “We meet people and still like to believe they’re good and that the world is sunshiny.” . Page 3 of 3 . . ............................................................................................................................................................................................. . .

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