CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia’s two United States Attorneys said older people should always be on guard for scams targeting everything from their money to their companionship. As many as 1 in 5 West Virginians over the age of 65 has been the target of some kind of scam.
AARP of West Virginia offered a Tele Town Hall Tuesday which focused on protecting older adults from fraud, scams, and cyber crime.
“Protecting vulnerable West Virginians is the top priority for me and I know it’s a top priority for the President and the Attorney General,” said Moore Capito, U.S. Attorney for the southern district of West Virginia.
Also on the call was the state’s northern district U.S. Attorney Matt Harvey who shared there has been a constant rise particularly in foreign scams.
“They targeted older adults for a promise of an investment that was a sure thing, tech support, business e-mail compromise, impersonating a government official–which I’m seeing a rise of, personal data breach, and confidence romance schemes,” Harvey explained.
He offered one overall bit of advice to those on the call. Hang up the phone.
“If they are putting tremendous pressure on you to act, that’s the number one key. If it’s a legitimate person from your bank, you can hang up, talk to someone else, and call them back and they’re not going to have a problem with it. However if you have a scammer on the line, they’re going to create this artificial reason that you have to act now,” he explained.
Several participants on the call shared stories of their own difficult situations. Harvey and Capito both suggested hanging up the moment it seems like a scam. Never reveal any personal identity information on a phone call.
One caller suggested they had received calls claiming to be from the IRS saying they owed back taxes. The caller asked Harvey and Capito if it was okay to hang up. The federal prosecutors suggested hanging up was fine, because the IRS typically will reach out with a mail correspondence before any other means are attempted.
AARP’s “Fraud Watch Network” provides free tools and resources to help people spot and avoid scams. Individuals who suspect a scam can call the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline at 877-908-3360 to speak with a trained fraud specialist about what to do next. The Tele Town Hall was hosted as a ways to bring more awareness to scams. October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month.