You would think that everyone would have heard of this by now but today the local paper reports "a xxxxx resident was bilked out of $3,500 by scammers claiming to be from the federal agency" "On May 29, the victim – a senior citizen in her 70s – purchased $3,500 worth of iTunes gift cards after being threatened with arrest by the end of the day".
It boggles the mind that anyone - let alone a relatively young senior citizen who was competent enough to go through the process to buy iTunes cards and send them away -could fall for this scam but it's still happening. The best defence is to get the word out, talk to your friends, neighbours and family about this.
I have also had the IRS phones where they threaten to have the Sheriff Department arrest me if I do not pay money that day to _______. Since there have been several articles about IRS scams in our local paper and I also know many of the Deputy Sheriffs, I just laughed this one off.
Some of Mom's elderly friends don't answer the phone anymore until the answering machine picks up the phone call and the person calling starts to leave a message. If it is someone they want to talk to, then they pick up the phone. Or the elderly friends calls that person back.
I am even getting phone calls and texts on my cellphone from phone numbers that I do not know. One text stated "When calling this phone please leave a voice message." -- as if I had sent a text to them FIRST-- HAH!!!
Here it shows who the number is registered in and in which city is located, and most importantly you can leave a review. Usually, everyone writes how the scammers wanted to exchange money. It would be cool that there was a single database of numbers, but for now, we are using what we have.
I just wish they weren't robo calls b/c I'd love to play with them. My father loved doing that. A former poster, Jude, I think was part of her screen name, wrote a superb post on how her mother with dementia would frustrate the scammers so much they gave up and d/c'ed the call. If I could find that post, I'd link to it.
FF, love that retort! Sometimes Dad would just keep repeating "abba dabba do!" The scammer gave up after a few repeats.
I still plan to get a submarine horn one of these days. Keeping my ear protectors need the phone, I'd give the scammers a few loud blasts.
Grandson: Hi Grandpa.
Sig Other: Hey, haven't talked to ya in awhile. How's it going?
Grandson: I just got out of the hospital, I am a little short.
Sig Other: You inherited that from your great-grandfather, he wasn't tall.
Grandson: No, short on money.
Sig Other: Short money? Never heard of short money
Well, that is how the conservation went until the scammer slammed the phone down.
Then the caller instructs the person to go to a local grocery store and buy i-tune card or Apple card to which the person needs to call back and give the 16-digit code off the back of the card. Then those codes are re-sold on the black market.
I think clerks in a store should be alert and have their manager speak with an elder who is buying a lot of these i-tune cards. Even adults who are not seniors can get snagged in this scam.