LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — We’ve all gotten them – these annoying calls, texts, and even emails from scammers hoping to make a fast buck. However among the many thousands and thousands of Individuals who lose cash to scammers yearly, older adults, particularly these 60 and up, are hit the toughest.
“We get phone calls every day, and they’re trying to scam you and get your information all day long, and it’s constant,” Burnett Bartaltt stated.
Bartaltt stated scams have change into routine and typically pricey.
“They have scammed me out of money, and I have not been able to get it back,” Bartaltt defined. “I went to my bank, and my bank saw [the check] and the check looked so good; it looked really great. And I thought I had something going on that I could get paid for driving – it was a bad scam.”
From faux checks to automotive repairs, even a house he hoped to maneuver into, Bartaltt stated he’s been a sufferer of a number of scams, costing him 1000’s of {dollars}.
“They’re gonna come and tell you all these great things that they’re going to do for you, and they really are not trying to help you at all; they’re just trying to scam you through everything you got,” Bartaltt stated.
Based on AARP, older Individuals misplaced $12.5 billion to scams and fraud in 2024, up 25% from 2023. The commonest are imposter scams the place criminals name or textual content, pretending to be authorities officers or firms like Amazon or PayPal.
“It’s when you get that text that tells you that you owe money,” retired LVMPD detective Tamia Dow defined. “You owe a parking ticket, you owe toll fees, or you have warrants.”
Dow stated scammers focusing on seniors additionally pose as Medicare or AARP representatives. She stated in both occasion, don’t reply and call the group instantly to substantiate claims.
“Verify everything,” Dow stated. “Make sure to not click on links in their text messages or email. If you see something from somebody you did not start a conversation with, do not respond to them. Confirm everything.”
Different schemes embrace on-line purchasing cons, faux job gives, and funding scams. Dow warns seniors to be additional cautious, particularly in the case of cash or private data.
“Just be wise and weary of people trying to find out your information and most definitely of them asking you of any kind of money,” Dow defined.
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