[July 01, 2011] How to avoid fraud in the electronic age Tweet Jun 29, 2011 (The Peninsula Gateway - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The faces of thieves have changed drastically in the past few years. A person is twice as likely to be bilked out of thousands by a smooth-talking telemarketer than they are to lose their wallet to a gun-toting thug. "We live in an electronic culture," said Matt Santelli, case manager for the Aging and Disability Resource Center. "People don't even need to get a hold of your credit card. If the information is out there, they can make purchases." Santelli usually catches wind of identity theft after the fact, when he helps his clients sort out the mess. He addressed a room full of residents and guests recently at Harbor Place at Cottesmore in Gig Harbor to help prevent people from becoming victims in the first place. "Seniors and people with disabilities can be targets because they usually have reliable streams of income or have built-up estates," Santelli said. "Criminals go where money is easy to find." The next most vulnerable group are people 25 and younger, he said. "They've got it all figured out, but they don't have the wisdom to protect themselves," Santelli said. "They get cheated because they're not knowledgeable yet. They put too much personal information on Facebook and Twitter, and it can be used against them." Seniors attract criminals because they tend to answer the phone or the door and are polite -- they're not likely to hang up on someone who sounds like a telemarketer. They also look at their mail carefully and don't throw away as much junk mail. "I've seen seniors with bags full of sweepstakes offers," Santelli said. "I tell them, 'Don't respond,' because they'll just send you more and more." Easily accessible printer technology allows thieves to print out legitimate-looking offers with insignias, bunting and framing. They inform victims they have won huge cash prizes but must pay for the taxes. "I have never seen anyone win a sweepstakes offer," Santelli said. "Never send money to get money." The case manager said he has seen scam artists become more sophisticated. They will call someone and pretend to be their grandchild and ask for money to be sent by Western Union for some type of emergency. Santellis said they will claim to be in jail or have gotten in an accident and are in the hospital. The goal is to create an urgent situation that flusters the victim and causes them to react, Santelli said. He added that thieves will pose as officials for companies in order to gain access to homes. "Senior citizens won't check for badges a lot of times," he said. "It's easy to create badges. It's easy to obtain uniforms or put decals on trucks." Santelli recalled a situation when a thief actually used a child as a decoy while he burglarized a woman's home. Thieves follow the news and will hit hard following a disaster, Santelli said. There's usually a jump in fraudulent activity from bogus "charities" which pop up following well-publicized disasters, such as the tsunami in Japan or flooding in the Midwest. "The Secretary of State's website has a list of legitimate organizations," he said. "Give locally. There's plenty of local organizations where you can monitor where the money is going. If your money goes out of state, it's probably going into the pocket of some criminal." Another popular scam involves someone who calls and informs the victim they're a bank representative who has noticed unusual activity on their credit card. They'll ask the victim to verify their credit card number, address or even Social Security number to ascertain they are speaking to the cardholder, Santelli said. The panicked victim often will respond, believing that someone is making purchases on their card and that their bank is trying to help them, he said. The caller may even introduce themselves as the local police or an FBI agent investigating the fraud, and that's particularly successful with seniors, who have been raised to respond to authority, Santelli said. "The victim will start spilling out information," he said. "Anyone can look like an authority, and they always come across as someone who is there to help you." Santelli suggests hanging up and calling the credit card company directly at the 800 number listed on the back of the card to verify the alleged breach. If the caller gives an 800 number to call, don't call it, Santelli said. Only use the official number on the credit card. Even with the risk credit cards carry, Santelli suggested holding on to at least one, as most car rental companies, airlines and hotels require them to make reservations. Sue Wilhelm, marketing director at Harbor Place at Cottesmore, said banks will issue temporary debit cards that can be used in the place of travelers checks. The card is worth a designated dollar amount, avoiding thieves' having unlimited access to a regular card if it's lost or stolen, Wilhelm said. "You can load up the debit card specifically for travel," she said. "Just ask your bank about travelers check options." When a fraud attempt is suspected, Santelli said it's important to file a report with the police department and get a case number. Most senior citizens want justice, but most victims don't ever face the thief in court, he said. Tips to avoid scams Matt Santelli, case manager for the Aging and Disability Resource Center, offers the following tips to avoid becoming a victim of identity theft: Avoid using bank-issued "convenience checks." They carry a very high interest rate. Be suspicious of callers who have foreign accents. Overseas scam artists are often students who learn English as a second language. Get caller ID on your phone so you can trace where a call is coming from. Listen for a delay in the conversation. That often means the call is coming from overseas. Beware of someone who tries to distract you in a public place. Don't leave your purse in a shopping cart while you shop, even if you are standing right next to it. It only takes a thief a moment to grab a wallet while you're looking in another direction. Only open your email when you're using it -- don't leave the computer on with your email open. That leaves it more susceptible to hackers and viruses. Turn off your computer when it's not being used. A computer left on is vulnerable to hackers 24/7. To report a scam, call 1-877-FTC-HELP or visit www.ftc.gov. Reach Lifestyles Coordinator and reporter Susan Schell at 253-853-9240 or by email at [email protected]. To see more of The Peninsula Gateway or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.thenewstribune.com/gigharbor/. Copyright (c) 2011, The Peninsula Gateway, Gig Harbor, Wash. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]