> They told her to go get 2 grand worth of gift cards from. Target. I forgot what the made up. <
For those not in the know, here are some scams of that type:
- You owe the IRS for back taxes. Pay now, or you will be arrested.
- You owe your power company money. Pay now, or your electricity will be shut off.
- Your grandson/granddaughter is in jail, and needs bail money.
And now the most intricate one of all:
You are told that you are due a refund from an unwanted purchase. That refund was transferred to your bank electronically. But an error has occurred, and you have received too much money.
Please send the excess back to us using either gift cards or a bitcoin machine.
Bottom line for seniors, and everyone else: Believe NO unsolicited phone calls or emails.
Better yet, don’t answer your phone. If it is legit, they will leave a message.
My sister was nearly a victim of this type of scam. It was very elaborate. Some guy visited my brother in Thailand. He had a lot of info on him, and convinced him that they had known each other in the USAF, in Vietnam. At that, bro gave him his life history since.
A few weeks later, someone called my sister, claiming to be my brother. Sister said that the voice sounded just like our bro, had enough details to convince her. Said he was in The Philippines and had been arrested for something, needed $2000 right away or he would go to jail. Gave a location in Manila to wire the money to.
Sister was all set to head to the closest Western Union desk, when my nephew told her that our bro was currently on social media from his home in Thailand. Nephew saved his mother $2000 just in the knick of time.
I got a mail notice the other day from the IRS that I miscalculated my taxes by a couple hundred bucks. If it takes a couple of hours to connect to a live body at the IRS, the notice is probably legit. If it take another couple of hours or so to resolve a simple dispute, that is further justification the notice is legit..
One of these scams involves “ PUBLISHER’S CLEARING HOUSE”
MY NEIGHBORS FELL FOR IT...
THOUGHT THEY HAD A REAL CHECK FOR $750,000.
THEY DID HAVE SENSE ENOUGH TO TAKE IT TO THE BANK & THEY LEARNED IT WAS ALL FAKE:
THE INSTRUCTIONS: “CASH THE CHECK AT YOUR ATM & SEND US THE TAXES OWED. BY WITHDRAWING $$$”
I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANY METHOD THAT YOU CAN USE TO “CASH A CHECK AT THE ATM”.
ELDERLY-—MAYBE A BIT older than I—I am 85.
I READ THEM THE RIOT ACT. TOLD THEM TO COME DIRECTLY TO ME IF THEY GET ANYTHING LIKE THIS EVER AGAIN.
The only other crap calls I get asking for $$$== “GRANDMA—I AM IN JAIL”
SINCE I NEVER HAD ANY KIDS-—I SWEAR AT THEM IN VERY HIGH DECIBELS and hand up.
THE CALLS TO “SELL MY HOUSE” have driven me to tell them “8 MILLION DOLLARS-—ALL CASH—180 day escrow to find a new place”