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In the News : SAIF
Publication: Sacramento Bee
By: Kenny Klein
Date: October 22, 2003
fraud fest focuses on seniors:
Experts provided Crime-Prevention Tips to the 400 Attendees
When 70-year-old Sylvia Bradley received a call recently from a telemarketer saying she had won a large amount of money in a contest, she was excited.
Then, as the stranger explained that she needed to pay him $1,209.63 in taxes before she could get the cash, Bradley paused.
"I knew something was not right," said Bradley, who lives in East Hemet. "If I'd won any money, I would not have to pay before receiving anything. No way."
Bradley joined more than 400 senior citizens from throughout Riverside County on Tuesday at Fraud Fest. The second annual conference, held at the Valley-Wide Sports Center in San Jacinto, featured speeches from several anti-fraud experts who specialize in crime prevention, law enforcement and prosecution of those who prey on the elderly.
"Seniors are targeted for fraud every day in our county, state and nation," said Margo Hamilton, regional manager for Curtailing Abuse Related to the Elderly, or CARE. "Our mission is to educate seniors so they can protect themselves."
CARE was host for the conference, but funding came from the state Department of Corporations. CARE, a division of Riverside County Adult Protective Services, handles about 250 senior fraud cases a year in the county. The division's services range from providing fraud avoidance tips, to helping seniors report crimes and giving them resources such as counseling and legal referrals. Fraud costs seniors millions of dollars each year in the state, Hamilton said.
Riverside County sheriff's Detective Tony Greer said criminals prey on seniors because their generation was brought up with a different value system.
"Their generation was raised to do things on a handshake," said Greer, who is based at the Hemet station. "Their generation was raised to take people on their word and the perpetrators take advantage of that. This has nothing to do with intelligence. They are just a very trusting and honest generation."
One of the biggest problems law enforcement officers face is that many seniors do not report fraud because they are embarrassed, Greer said.
"We can't help if we don't know," he said.
Robyn L. Goodman, program manager for the state's Seniors Against Investment Fraud, a program of the Department of Corporations, urged seniors to never jump into any investment.
"Slow down and take your time," Goodman said. "You don't know how many calls we receive from seniors who say 'He seemed so nice...He seemed so professional.' "
Seniors should call her agency to find out more about the person or firm handling an account before investing or making any large purchase. The agency can provide background checks on individuals and companies before seniors make financial decisions.
But telemarketing, sales and investment schemes are not the only ways the elderly are getting taken advantage of.
Sheriff's Cpl. David Kurylowicz said criminals also target the elderly because they do not often use their credit cards. Because of this, many seniors do not check their credit-card statements and could miss unauthorized purchases.
Seniors should check their statements, even if they have not purchased anything recently, said Kurylowicz, who is based at the Hemet station. They also should shred statements before throwing them away. That's because many criminals pick through trash to get account numbers, Kurylowicz said.
Many seniors found the meeting's information useful.
"It was very informative and now I know what to pay attention to and what to tell my friends," said Concha Rios of Coachella.
Frank Estrada, a Lake Elsinore resident, agreed.
"We might be aged, but age does not mean you know everything," Estrada said. "This (the event) is a good idea because it is very hard to diagnose fraud."
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AVOIDING FRAUD
If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Be wary of unexpected phone calls, letters or personal visits.
Report suspicious activity and fraud to law enforcement.
If you are a victim of fraud, call CARE at (800) 476-7506 or SAIF at (866) ASK-CORP
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