Beaufort Co. Sheriff’s Office, scam experts talk rise in elderly scams and how to prevent them
BLUFFTON, S.C. (WTOC) - Scams are on the rise in Beaufort County, and a lot of them are targeting the elderly.
Federal officials say one out of every 10 adults over 60 will fall victim to some form of elder abuse.
On Tuesday in Bluffton, experts gathered at the Hargray Building on UCSB’s campus to discuss scams with residents that are on the rise in Beaufort County and across the state, how to prevent them, and how to report them so they can be investigated.
From romance scams, which residents had questions about during a roundtable discussion after seeing emails appear in their spam folders.
“I’d like to know from your perspective,” One concerned resident asked. “Do we have a lot of international actors at work, or are these domestic people that are preying on our seniors?”
Which officials answered by saying the suspects they see in these cases are primarily from another country, and they have to work with foreign governments to get them to the United States to face charges.
To scams like the one where someone receives a message or call saying that they have missed jury duty and have to pay a fee to avoid any potential punishment.
Another is the resurgence of gift card scams, where deputies say scammers are sending people barcodes for a gift card and asking them to reload money onto it.
Investigators say they have seen these scams for years, but now they are seeing new ones.
“A lady was putting her Best Buy gift card on Facebook Marketplace to sell it, someone says, ‘How do I know there is that money in that card?’ So, she puts it on speaker phone, uses her other phone to dial in the number, and the suspect has an app that shows when she pushes a two, he’s going to know it’s the number two she pushed,” Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office Southern Investigations, Lt. Eric Calendine said.
In each instance, Lt. Calendine says they could have been prevented if people had taken a step back and questioned the call or message they received.
“Don’t believe the pitch,” Lt. Calendine said. “Hang up the phone, call a loved one, call your local law enforcement, and ask questions. Unfortunately, in this day and age, you can’t believe everything that’s on a phone or what you get in the mail. You’ve got to question everything to safeguard yourself and your loved ones.”
According to the South Department of Consumer Affairs, red flags to watch out for are the same no matter the scam.
Those include:
- Scammers pretend to be someone you know or recognize
- Scammers say there’s a problem or prize
- Scammers pressure you to act now
- Scammers tell you to pay in a specific way
To avoid these scams, the department says to consider doing the following:
- Don’t answer calls or respond to text messages from numbers you don’t know. Block the numbers as they come in.
- Don’t give personal or financial information in response to a request you didn’t expect.
- Don’t fall for high-pressure tactics. Anyone who pushes you to make a decision, pay, or give over personal info is likely a scammer.
- Know the forms of payment scammers like to use. Avoid methods that are difficult to trace and areas good as cash.
- Think something is suspicious? Stop and talk to a friend, family member, or neighbor about what happened.
This rise in elderly scams is not just local; it’s a national issue that law enforcement, consumer experts, and prosecutors alike are trying to combat.
“Whether it be a coalition or a task force, what we can do to move into the next step of preventing the next person from being a victim,” Lt. Calendine said.
If you or someone you know has fallen victim to fraud or elder abuse, officials ask that you call your local law enforcement agency.
You can also call the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-372-8311 or report the alleged crimes to this website.
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