Blue Mountain Health System in Bowmanstown recently hosted a talk for the Dementia Educational Series titled "Senior Scams." The presentation was led by Janene Holter, a senior supervisory agent in Attorney General Josh Shapiro's office.

"You guys have worked extremely hard for your money," Holter said. "And I want you to have the quality of life you are accustomed to."Holter began her talk with charities. They aren't scams, she said, but some sell lists of donors. That's when the calls start coming in.Don't feel obligated to make a donation if they send address labels, notepads, pens or some other incentive, Holter said. Marketing firms are getting paid as much as 80 percent of the donation."Give locally, because the whole $5 or $10 stays here within your community," she said.As far as scams, many of them make contact via the telephone.Caller IDOne scam uses websites in order to pose as a valid company on caller identification systems. The phone number will show up on Caller ID as being from that company, but it isn't. The call could actually becoming from outside the country, Holter said.If a call comes in and caller ID shows 000 instead of the name of company, then that is also a scammer, she said.SweepstakesWith sweepstakes, a scammer calls a person and tells him or her that he or she has won a prize, such as money, a car or a trip. The hitch is that they have to pay the taxes and fees before they can receive the prize,Holter said they tell the person to pay with a check, money order or wire the money to them. Some scams have suggested using gift cards. Once the $1,000 or more is on the gift cards, they ask for the account numbers and say it's to verify the card. Once they have the account numbers, they can wipe the money right off the cards electronically, she said. They don't actually need the cards, just those numbers.Holter told the group that if they get one of these calls to tell them to take the taxes out of their winnings. Chances are the next they hear is click."There's nothing for free," she said. "If it sounds to good to be true, it is."Fake delivery companiesAnother scam that suggests paying with checks or money orders starts with internet sales.The scammer will respond to an advertisement for an item that's for sale, such as a motorcycle, but says he or she can't pick it up and asks the person to call a specific delivery company to make delivery arrangements. The scammer promises to pay them back when they pay for the item. This "buyer" is actually working with another person who is posing as the delivery company. The seller ends up losing the delivery fee and sometimes the item he or she was selling."This happens all of the time. We have criminals all across the country that are posing as delivery companies," Holter said. "Tell them to pay for their own delivery."Healthcare scamWith this one, a person receives a call or an email from someone claiming that something is wrong with their recent medical claim and they need to provide more information. They will use the name of the person's health care provider, including Medicare to make it sound legitimate.For Medicare, if the scam comes in the form of an email, note the tag on the website they give. Medicare is a government program and its website will have a .gov tag.Holter recommends hanging up and calling the customer service phone number on the back of the medical card. Chances are everything is fine.IRS/Jury dutyAnother scare tactic scammers will use is calling a person and say he or she is being audited or missed jury duty and will go to jail if he or she doesn't pay a fine. Holter said the best thing to do is just hang up. The government contacts people through the mail, not by telephone or email.Computer virusSimilarly, people have received calls from scammers claiming to be with Microsoft or Dell and a virus has been detected on their computers. What they really want is to gain remote access to the computer and get the financial records on it."Tell them you don't have a computer," Holter said.Family scamThis one is particularly dangerous, because it plays on the victim's emotions.Criminals find out when and where people are going on vacation by the comments and pictures they post on social media. After the person is away, they call one of their family members and claim that the person has been arrested and won't be released until the fine is paid. Sometimes they put a person on the phone to pose as the "arrested" family member."These criminals are getting extremely elaborate," Holter said. "(The family) truly think they are talking to a loved one."She said this is because it's such an emotional experience that the person isn't able to tell the difference. If this ever happens, Holter recommends asking the impostor a question that is something no one else knows about."Don't let your emotions get the best of you," she said.Account verificationPeople have received a call from someone saying they are from a person's credit card company, but they really aren't. They sound legitimate and have the person's name, address and even the credit card number, but they don't have the security code on the back of the card.Holter said these people get the bulk of the information by snatching mail from people's mailboxes.Don't put the red flag up on a mailbox, because it's a sign to criminals that bills might be going out with checks and account numbers or Social Security numbers written on them.Holter said don't write these numbers on the checks and drop the mail in a post office mailbox.Holter also said to never carry your Social Security card. If it is on a medical card, don't carry that it either and don't give out the number to anyone, including doctors' offices. If you have to give it out, make sure it is done in private and not in a public space.Estate planningThere are good estate planners, Holter said. But it is best to meet with them at their office, not a house. That way, good or bad, access to financial information isn't at the fingertips. It also provides a good excuse for why more time is needed to think about any investments or planning.Holter also recommends taking a friend along in order to have someone to discuss it with later.Don't fall for a high pressure tactics, she said. Take the information home, look up definitions if needed and think about it.Home improvementsIf there is work to be done on the house, then go to a reputable, well-known contractor. And always get a contract, Holter said. The Attorney General's Office really can't help a person who hired someone with a handshake or a receipt written on the back of a business card. The business may not actually exist."If your job goes terribly wrong, we don't have any way to support you," she said.As far as payment, contractors should be paid in thirds. Pay one-third when the project is started, one-third at the midpoint and the last one-third when the project is done to the customer's satisfaction. Holter said that once the last payment is paid, it's difficult to get a contractor to come back out to fix something that isn't quite right.Hotel room menusAfter a long tiring trip, many people take a look at the menus in the hotel room to see if they want to order something to be delivered. The problem is that criminals have swapped out the original menus with fake ones that look identical, except for the phone number, Holter explained.The unknowing victim places a call, orders some food and is asked to prepay; only the food never arrives. She recommends doing some research before going on the trip or asking the person at the front desk to recommend a restaurant.Paying with plasticHolter also had some credit card tips.• Don't give out any credit card information over the phone, unless the cardholder called the company in order to make a purchase.• Check credit card statements each month. Criminals will start off with small charges to see if it gets noticed and challenged. If it doesn't, then they start making larger purchases with the card.• Sign the credit cards on the back and write CID beside the name. This tells the clerk to ask to "see ID."• And there is always the option to "freeze your credit."If buying a house or a car is not in the future, then freezing the credit will prevent anyone from fraudulently opening a credit card or getting a loan. The credit can be unfrozen in order to make an expensive purchase, but there is a $10 fee to unfreeze and then refreeze the credit.The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office has a book that discusses scams, rights of consumers and a list of resources. It is free and can be obtained by calling 1-800-441-2555. More information about consumer protection is also available on the website

www.attorneygeneral.gov.