The Jim Thorpe Police Department hosted an elder fraud lecture recently at Memorial Hall led by FBI Agent William Vigorito from the Scranton office.

Pennsylvania had the seventh highest number of fraud victims in the country with the sixth highest dollar loss in 2021, $77 million.

Fraud awareness and recognizing scams for those 60 and older is an initiative from the Department of Justice.

Jim Thorpe Police Chief Joseph Schatz organized the lecture “after a presentation a few months ago at the Jim Thorpe community watch meeting where residents expressed further interest.”

FBI statistics for 2022 indicate that the number of scams is going up as old scams are tweaked. The top type of scam is called “romance fraud” in which the perpetrator lures someone into an online relationship and then requests money. Other types of scams include investment fraud, techno, crypto and email compromises.

“Don’t answer the phone if you don’t recognize the number,” Vigorito said. “You know all of the people in your life who are going to call you.”

He also stressed that online purchases should be made with credit cards, not debit cards, which would allow access to bank accounts.

He also said you will never receive phone calls from the Internal Revenue Service, Social Security or government agencies because they do their business by mail.

It was pointed out in the lecture that a doctor from Jim Thorpe recently paid out $10,000 to a scam artist after receiving a call from the “DEA.”

The FBI is able to stop these payments from going through if you realize you were scammed within 24 hours.

A more recent scam has been labeled “distraction burglaries.” In this scenario, someone who looks like they are from a legitimate business will gain access to your home by suggesting something such as you needing a new roof. Once they have you upstairs in your home with them they will radio a partner who will come in and rob the home without you even knowing until after the fact. It is advised to be extremely wary of anyone who suddenly shows up at your home to do work you did not request.

Seniors can also protect themselves by freezing their credit report with all three major credit reporting agencies. The local offices of aging can help with this.

People were advised to pay close attention to emails to ensure that they are coming from a real source, as some addresses may look very similar but are one letter off.

Consumer Reports suggests blocking solicitors by going to outprescreen.com to block unsolicited credit offers for five years. They also suggest that if you are concerned about the financial decisions of a loved one, set up a small local bank account for the elderly to access. For $7.49 monthly Eversafe checks daily for suspicious activities on all accounts.

AARP offers biweekly watchdog alerts to combat fraud. If you suspect a scam contact them at 877-903–3360.

The Federal Trade Commission also has a fraud line: fraud.ftc.gov. Keep in mind that the government will not reach out to offer grants, ask for money upfront before sending a benefit nor will agencies take payment in the form of gift cards.

As elder scams have increased at an alarming rate, “trust no one” may hold true. Contact your local Department of Aging office, AARP or other agencies for the elderly for more information.