Tag: #elderabuse

The Monterey police are warning local residents of a phone scam where callers identify themselves as law enforcement and demand payment, threatening you with arrest if you don’t comply.  Some identify themselves with the actual names of local or federal law enforcement.  They will ask you to buy bitcoin or gift cards and then read the serial numbers off of the cards.  Your caller ID may show the call is coming from a local law enforcement agency, the FBI or the IRS.  If you receive a suspicious call, you can contact the Monterey Police Department at 646-3830 or 646-3914.

https://www.montereyherald.com/2021/02/26/monterey-police-warn-residents-of-phone-scams/?utm_email=7404B4F5358244C5647B14D271&g2i_eui=B5dv00xjia5jtX%2fZFTuOn45qYHnjNzVq&g2i_source=newsletter&utm_source=listrak&utm_medium=email&utm_term=https%3a%2f%2fwww.montereyherald.com%2f2021%2f02%2f26%2fmonterey-police-warn-residents-of-phone-scams%2f&utm_campaign=norcal-monterey-morning-report&utm_content=automated

Although anyone can be a victim of the many scams that criminals are carrying out now, data from the Federal Trade Commission shows that consumers age 80 and older are far more likely to be scammed by phone and lose the most money, a median of $1,250.  “Even if you do everything perfectly, you can still be susceptible to fraud,” Shameka Walker, a fraud and identity theft program manager at the FTC, told Kiplinger’s Retirement Report.  Most scammers are hacking in to find your email address and hawking you products that you may have been searching for.  Other popular scams are selling fake COVID-19 vaccines and PPE equipment to protect against the virus. Seniors living in Carmel, Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach are particularly vulnerable as these crooks target high-income areas.

I’ve written many times on my blog about the myriad elder abusers preying on seniors on the Monterey Peninsula.  John Osborne had the honor of being on the cover of Monterey County Weekly, exposed for being arrested on more than two dozen felony counts for fraud and other financial schemes.  In one case, over a period of roughly 15 years he defrauded Claude Wilson, an elderly U.S. Army veteran, out of his life savings of nearly $1 million.  Now 84, Wilson’s neighbor, George Gerena who has dementia and will need 24-hour care for the rest of his life, was talked into giving power of attorney to Osborne.  Shortly thereafter, Gerena’s house went into foreclosure and was sold to a distressed asset company, who then sold the house back to a company which was in the name of Osborne and Wilson.   Elder Abuse is so prevalent on the Monterey Peninsula that the Public Guardian and Adult Protective Services have a task force to fight fraud.  The U.S. Department of Justice set up a hotline to report elder abuse and can be reached at 1-833-372-8311.  You can also call our local Adult Protective Services office at 1-800-510-2020.

https://www.ojp.gov/news/ojp-blogs/2020-ojp-blogs/national-hotline-helps-victims-elder-financial-fraud

http://mcdss.co.monterey.ca.us/aging/

AARP Bulletin had an elder abuse alert for our area.  The article profiled a 75-year old man who saw a charge on his credit card that he didn’t recognize for Amazon Prime.  He did a google search for Amazon’s phone number and called the number, which turned out to be fake.  They asked him to confirm his credit card number, as well as his Social Security number.  “Scammers will buy and place fake ads that often elude the filters for the online search engines,” Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser told AARP Bulletin.  They also tricked him into buying gift cards.  “When people are searching for customer service numbers, they are in a hurry and quickly scan for the first phone number they see,” he said.  Scammers are targeting Monterey County, and in particular rich pockets like Carmel-by-the-sea and Pebble Beach.