Have You Heard Of These Senior Scams? Be Aware

We all know that seniors are targets for scams. These are scams that have been reported in the Lehigh Valley and other areas of Pennsylvania — so be on the lookout.

Amazon Gift Card Payment Scam

Victims are directed to make payments for online purchases only through merchant gift cards.

Who Is It Targeting: Online shoppers

What Is It: A scam that redirects payment outside of the retailer’s site

What Are They After: When shoppers found items they wanted on Amazon that were listed for sale by third party sellers, they were directed to email the seller directly before placing the order. That’s when the bait-and-switch began.

Once the victims described the item they wanted, they received payment emails that appeared to come from Amazon but were really fake emails from the scammer. The instructions were to purchase an Amazon gift card and send the number and PIN from the card to the seller in order to complete the payment process.

Of course, the scammer took the card information and depleted the gift card, then no item was ever actually purchased. The victim is out the money he spent on the gift card, and Amazon is unable to help since the card was purchased legitimately and used by the scammer.

How Can You Avoid It:

• Never let an online seller “skirt the system” when it comes to paying for items.
• If you’re given the option to use a trusted payment method that offers consumer protection, do so.
• Just because you receive an email with a company logo on it, that doesn’t mean it’s genuine.
• Remember, if anything seems fishy about the transaction—such as being told to buy a gift card and use it for payment instead of your own secured credit card—trust your instincts and stay away.

If you think you may be a victim of identity theft, contact the Identity Theft Resource Center for toll-free, no-cost assistance at (888) 400-5530. Find more information about current scams and alerts here. For full details of this scam check out this article from NJ.com.

Utilities Scams

Utilities United Against Scams Day occurs in November, but the work of preventing utility scams is a year-round job.

Who Is It Targeting: Homeowners or renters with utility bills

What It Is: Utility scams attempting to coerce you into paying over the phone

What Are They After: Scammers posing as reps from your local utility company may be calling, informing you that your account is past due and your electricity, gas, phone or other utility will be shut off for failure to pay your bill. They will spare you the inconvenience if you agree to make a payment immediately over the phone or by prepaid debit card.
This scam is especially frightening as the temperatures drop, leaving you with the impression that your heat might be turned off. Also, the call volume might increase later in the week to alarm you into complying out of fear that your utility will be turned off over the weekend.

How You Can Avoid It:
If you receive a call like this from your utility company, even if your caller ID provides the correct name or number, do not comply. Take the caller’s name and hang up immediately, then contact your utility company yourself using a verified phone number.
Do not give the person who called any personal information, even to “verify” your account. He called you, remember? He should not need sensitive information like a credit card number or your Social Security number.
Utility companies will never demand payment over the phone or state that they’ll only accept payment via prepaid debit card. That’s a sure sign that something is amiss.

If you think you may be a victim of identity theft, contact the Identity Theft Resource Center for toll-free, no-cost assistance at (888) 400-5530. For full details of this scam check out this article from Forbes.