Showing posts with label fraud alert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fraud alert. Show all posts

Saturday, May 23, 2020

Beware Coronoavirus Scams - Fraud is Increasing!

Due to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, which has caused businesses to close and stock prices to fall, millions of people are in a tough financial situation.  Nearly 40 million people are unemployed and many of them have had difficulty claiming their benefits.  Some people are becoming desperate and, as a result, more and more of them are falling for ruthless scams, often costing them what little money they have left. While it is easy to become a victim to scammers, it is more important than ever that we all continue to be vigilant and on the lookout for any suspicious requests for money.

Examples of Covid-19 Scams

While all the "old" scams continue to operate, criminals are now exploiting people in new ways.  Here are some examples:

Phony Social Security fees:  In March, 2020, people began getting letters which appeared to be from the Social Security Administration.  These letters told the recipients that they had to call a special phone number to protect their benefits from being suspended.  When they called, the people were then given instructions to pay a fee by using a gift card or an instant wire transfer.  NO government agency would ever ask you to pay a fee in order to get your benefits.  Nor would they ask you to make a payment to them by using gift cards or instant wire transfers.

Illegal Fees and Taxes on Prize Money:  Another scam is the enthusiastic promise from a caller that you have won a cash prize from some contest!  According to the caller, the only thing you need to do is pay a fee or pre-pay the taxes, before you get the prize.  Don't do it!  If you actually win a sweepstakes prize, it is illegal for them to ask you to pay a fee before receiving your prize. If the prize is large enough, a legitimate company may send tax forms for you to complete, and they may withhold a portion of the prize money to cover the taxes.  However, they are NOT allowed to require you to prepay the taxes by sending them money before they pay you the prize.  That is a scam.  If you send them money in advance, it is highly likely you will not receive the prize!

Fake ads for non-existent products:  Many people have seen ads or received promotional emails that advertise products which are currently hard to find, including facemasks, disposable gloves, disinfectant wipes, and hand sanitizer.  People have placed orders for these items and given the advertiser their credit card information, only to never receive the ordered product.  Place your orders with legitimate companies, only.  Check out companies online or with the Better Business Bureau, especially if you have never heard of them before, or if you are unsure if they are legitimate.  In addition, even if you are purchasing from a reputable company, make sure you are not overpaying for the items.  Some sellers are asking buyers to pay as much as ten times more than what the items sold for before the the pandemic.

Phony emails:  If you receive an unexpected email from a friend, relative or co-worker asking you to send money or gift cards to them or anyone else, do not do it unless you contact that person separately and confirm the request.  Many people and companies are discovering that their email accounts have been cloned or compromised, and scammers are using a fake account to request money and gift cards from your contacts.  This scam even happened to the minister of our church, who had to send out a disclaimer to the members of our church to let everyone know he is not asking anyone to send him money or gift cards!

Useless Covid-19 tests, cures, and "vaccines":  In a number of locations, crooks have set up phony Covid-19 testing sites where people have been charged as much as $240 for fake tests.  Other scammers have offered cures or vaccines which are ineffective, unproven, or dangerous.  Check with your healthcare provider before being tested for Covid-19, or before you try any cure or vaccine.  Currently, there are no approved cures or vaccines available to the public, except those being tried on hospitalized patients, or as part of a medical trial.

 The best way to protect yourself from the virus is to avoid contact with people who do not live in your home.  When you are around other people, wear a mask in public and expect others to do the same. Limit the amount of time you spend in businesses and other indoor locations where the virus could be lingering in the air.  The key is to keep your potential "viral load" as small as possible.

Remember the General Rules to Protect Yourself from Scams

Criminals are constantly coming up with new ways to get your money and/or your credit card information.  Before you become a victim, remember some basic rules.

No government agency will ever randomly call you and ask for gift cards or credit card information to pay a bill or fee.  The federal government and most state and local agencies will always contact people first by U.S. mail.  They will rarely contact you in any other way, unless you first call them and ask for a callback.

If a stranger calls and asks for money, hang up.  If they represent a charity which interests you, ask them to mail you information, so you can read it at your leisure.  Then, before making a donation to a new charity, check them out through the Better Business Bureau or Charity Navigator.  If you decide to support them, go to their website directly to make the donation.  Do not give out your credit card information over the phone.  Do not purchase gift cards and read the numbers on the back of the cards to anyone over the phone.  Do not make instant wire transfers to strangers.  Take your time and check things out.

Do not fall for fake news stories about "amazing cures" and treatments for Covid-19 or any other serious illness.  Check with your personal physician before trying something you have seen advertised online.  Even some televangelists have gotten in trouble for promoting products which were either useless or dangerous.  Do not give anyone your hard-earned money for something which will not help you, and might even harm you.

With so many people struggling financially at the moment, many of them are desperate to believe anything they read online or are told over the phone.  Stay vigilant and skeptical.  Take your time before making any financial decisions.  Be very, very reluctant to give out credit card information or let go of your money.  You earned it.  Make sure you keep it.  The longer this disease has us in its grips, the more we will all need to be cautious with our money.

If your retirement planning needs to be updated because of changes to your financial situation as a result of Covid-19 or unemployment, you may want to get the handy workbook, "Retirement by Design."   It will help you get back on track. (Ad) 

To learn more about common medical problems as we age, Medicare, Social Security, financial planning, where to retire and more, use the tabs or pull down menu at the top of the page to find links to hundreds of additional helpful articles.

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You are reading form the blog:  http://www.baby-boomer-retirement.com

Photo credit: Pixabay via Google

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Beware of Advance Pension Loans

As if there are not enough scams that target older Americans and retirees, now there are people who are trying to cheat them out of their retirement income by offering to lend them money against their pensions.  

You have probably seen ads for payday loans.  The loans that are targeted at retirees are essentially the same as payday loans, except they are called advance pension loans.  The annual interest rate on these loans can be as much as 100%, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

An interest rate of 100% is outrageous, especially since the loans are taken out against secure pensions which are generally guaranteed as long as the person is alive. 

Warnings Against Advance Pension Loans

The CFPB is warning retirees to avoid these types of loans.  They report that the loans are being offered in very deceptive ways.  This is an important enough issue that I wanted to pass on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau warnings.
The companies making the loans are often secretive about the terms of the loan and may be very aggressive about getting people to sign up.  In addition, as mentioned before, the interest rates are usually outrageous!

How Advance Pension Loans Work

In particular, the lenders purposely target retired military personnel, police officers, firemen, state employees and others who are entitled to a government or private pension.  The lenders typically offer to loan the recipient a lump sum and, in return, they ask for access to the retiree's pension information until the loan is paid off.  Since the interest rate can be 100% (and sometimes more), it can be almost impossible for someone on a tight fixed budget to ever be able to repay the loan. 

These lenders are often operating illegally.  It is against federal law for pensions to be assigned to a third party; however, the lenders are getting around the law by opening special joint bank accounts with the retirees in order to hide what they are doing. The pension is deposited into the bank account and the lender removes it.

Since the lenders often do not reveal the exact terms of the loan, the pensioners frequently do not have any idea how much they will have to repay and many have no idea what they are getting themselves into.
The problem has become so serious that New York's Department of Financial Services has launched an investigation into these predatory lenders.  Several have already received subpoenas.  The governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, released a statement saying that these deceptive practices will not be tolerated.

The national Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is also concerned and they have issued a nationwide alert.

How to Protect Yourself from Predatory Lenders

How can a consumer protect themselves from these predatory lenders?

1.  Do not give a lender access to the bank account where you receive your pensions.  Do not enter into an agreement with someone in which you pledge your pension in return for a loan.

2.  Do not borrow money from an unfamiliar organization or loan company.  Go to your bank or a trusted financial advisor if you need money in a hurry.  There are better options and you may be able to take out a personal loan or a loan against one of your assets, while getting much better terms such as a lower interest rate, particularly if you have a long-term relationship with your bank.

3.  For more ideas, check out the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau article below.  (It is the third link listed in the Resources section.)

Resources for this story: 

In addition, if you want more retirement planning information, check out more articles using the index tabs at the top of this page.  In particular, you will want to check out the Retirement Money tab.
You are reading from the blog:  http://baby-boomer-retirement.blogspot.com
Public domain photo of military personnel is courtesy of www.morguefile.com
 

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Crime Against Senior Citizens

One personality trait that seems to take over when we retire is that we become much more relaxed about a lot of things that used to worry us.  When we become relaxed about how we spend our time, how late we stay up, or our vacation destinations, that is understandable and one of the advantages of being retired. 

However, sometimes people become alarmingly relaxed about their personal and financial security.  If that happens to you, it could put you in danger, as well as your loved ones.  It also could mean that you put at risk everything you have spent your life building.  Unfortunately, there are far too many people who prey on the elderly, taking advantage of their kindness and their trusting nature.  Don't let your retirement be ruined by predators.

Local Crime Against the Elderly

Our gated retirement community, Laguna Woods Village,which is considered one of the safest in the state of California, just released our latest crime statistics.  This data shows that residential burglaries in our town have tripled since 2007 and property crimes are at all-time highs.  Shown below are a few of the statistics listed for our neighborhood.

Between 2007 and 2013:

Burglaries increased from 13 to 20
Residential burglaries increased from 4 to 15
Thefts increased from 70 to 121
Bicycle thefts increased from 2 to 13
Thefts from cars increased from 11 to 24

These are significant increases in crime, especially considering that we live in a secured guard-gated, over-55 community with private security patrolling the streets 24 hours a day.  In addition, a high percentage of our residents are retired and home most of the time.

National Crime Statistics

Unfortunately, what is happening within our community is reflected across the country.  Incidents of crime against the elderly have become a serious national problem, according to a number of sources.  The types of crimes not only include burglary and property crimes, but theft of assets, fraud, physical and financial abuse and assaults.  Here are some of the troubling statistics I discovered:

In 1998, the National Center on Elder Abuse released an estimate that about 1/3 of the cases of elder abuse cases involved financial exploitation of some kind. Indications are that this type of crime has increased since then.

In 2000, the US Senate Special Committee on Aging reported $40 billion in losses to the elderly due to telemarketing fraud.  This number, as well, has certainly increased significantly in the past 13 years.

According to Project America, about 2.5 of every 1000 elderly citizens will experience a physical criminal attack each year.  The specific incidence of various types of physical attacks against the elderly are:

Rape or sexual assault:  0.1 per 1000
Robbery: 0.6 per 1000
Aggravated assault: 0.3 per 1000
Simple assault:  1.5 per 1000
Personal theft: 0.8 per 1000 

According to the website saching.com, every 2.7 minutes an elderly person is victimized in the U.S.  That is a horrifying statistic.

Actions You Can Take to Avoid Being a Victim of a Crime

Our local county sheriff's department published a list of suggestions to help the elderly reduce their chances of becoming crime victims.  While some of these suggestions seem obvious, I know that many residents of our neighborhood have become lax about basic security because they feel so safe living here.  A few suggestions are good reminders:

1.  Keep your doors and windows locked when you go out.  Make sure your locks are in good working order and you may also want to consider installing an alarm system.

2.  Put lights on timers when you are going to be out after dark.  This has the additional advantage of preventing accidents from trips and falls that can occur when you enter a dark house.

3.  Cancel newspapers when you are going to be gone or ask a neighbor to pick up your newspapers and mail.  Because so many people are home during the day in a retirement community, it should be easy to find someone to help you.

4.  If you have a computer, have a computer expert check it from time to time to make sure your firewall and anti-virus protection are the latest versions.  If a stranger calls and says they are trying to fix a virus on your computer, hang up.  Do not follow their instructions.  This is a popular scam that can allow them to trick you into loading a virus onto your computer ... that only the caller can repair!

5.  Do not give out personal information to anyone who calls you.  Your bank and credit card companies already have your account numbers.  Do not give this information out to anyone over the phone, unless you initiated the call in order to make a purchase.

6.  Ask for an I.D. from anyone who comes to your door and claims to be from a utility company or other local business.  If you have any doubts, call the utility company to confirm that they sent the person.

7.  Take pictures of your valuables and keep the photos in a safe place.  In addition, mark your valuables with an identification number, if possible.  This may make it easier to reclaim items that are stolen.

8.  Do not fall for requests for money from people pretending to be relatives.  It is one of the latest scams and, as I have mentioned before in this blog, several people I know have lost thousands of dollars in this way. Confirm, confirm, confirm.  Even if they ask you not to call anyone else in the family, call anyway.

9.  Do not leave valuables in plain view in your car.  Most thefts from cars occur when passersby see a cell phone, purse or other item in your car and they break a window and steal it.  Just a few weeks ago, someone broke several car windows at the stables in our retirement community.  While people were peacefully enjoying a trail ride, their purses were being stolen from their cars!

10.  Do not put your purse or wallet in the trunk of your car while standing in the parking lot of your gym, golf course or other public building.  Thieves hang around these place watching for people to put their valuables in the car trunks.  Then, while you are happily getting some exercise, they pop open your trunk and steal your belongings.  It just takes them seconds.

While some of the items listed above may just seem like good common sense, far too many elderly become lax as they age, especially if they feel they live in a safe area.  This is the time when you should become more vigilant than ever!

If you are retired or planning to retire soon, and you need additional information about how to have the best retirement possible, you may want to check out the blog posts listed in the index articles below.

Gifts, Travel and Family Relationships

Great Places for Boomers to Retire Overseas

Great Places to Retire in the United States

Health and Medical Topics for Baby Boomers

Money and Financial Planning for Retirement


You are reading from the blog:  http://baby-boomer-retirement.blogspot.com

Sources:

"Property Crimes Spike in City," Laguna Woods Globe - Orange County Register, August 15, 2013.

http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/Default.asp?Item=1047

http://www.project.org/info.php?recordID=127

http://voices.yahoo.com/rising-crime-rates-against-elderly-seniors-learning-406684.html

http://www.saching.com/Article/Crimes-Against-The-Elderly---Crime-And-Abuse-of-Senior-Citizens/190

Photo of police car is courtesy of www.morguefile.com