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Don’t fall victim to phone scams

Knowing how to identify phone scammers becomes increasingly important as we age. Phone scammers often target seniors because seniors tend to be less suspicious of over-the-phone sales pitches than their younger counterparts and are perceived to have significant amounts of money just accumulating in their bank accounts.

On Thursday, April 17, Waterstone at Wellesley is hosting a lecture by Police Officer Evan Rosenburg, who will discuss phone scams and the common ways in which seniors are targeted.

For those who can't make it, however, we'd like to share some information on phone scams and how to recognize when you are being duped.

The National Council on Aging has created a list of the top ten scams targeting seniors, which can be read in full here.

Some common scams, however, are:

1) Medicare fraud. Perpetrators pose as a Medicare rep in order to obtain personal information which they then use to bill Medicare and pocket the money.
2) Fake telemarketing. Seniors make twice as many purchases over the phone than the national average, making them susceptible to fake telemarketers. These scams are particularly popular because there is no paper trail, making it hard for law enforcement to trace the source. Some common methods include charity scams and fake accidents involving real family members.
3) Sweepstakes scams. A common version of this scam involves the scammer informing the victim that they've won a large sum of money, but that to receive (or "unlock") the prize, they must first wire a certain amount of their own money (prize "fees") to the scammer. Sometimes, the victim is even given a check to deposit that the scammer knows full well will eventually bounce and be removed from the victim's bank account.

If you feel like you've been targeted by a phone scammer, make sure you notify your local police—even if the scammers weren't successful—because they will want to track local trends.

We hope to see you at the lecture!

Officer Rosenburg offers tips on phone scams
Thursday, April 17 at 2:30 p.m.
While the event is free and open to the public, it is encouraged that you R.S.V.P. Call 781-235-1614 or click here to R.S.V.P.