Tag Archives for AARP Rhode Island

Tis’ the Season to Get Ripped Off, if Your’re Not Careful

 

Published in Pawtucket Times on November 23, 2015 

             With just a little over 30 days left to Christmas, a newly released AARP Fraud Watch Network telephone poll finds that 70 percent of American consumers failed a quiz about how to protect themselves from common holiday scams.  Many of the survey’s respondents, age 18 and over, say they are regularly engaging in risky behaviors which could put them at risk of being victimized by con artists during the approaching holidays..

The 26-page report, “Beware the Grinch: Consumers at Risk of Being Scammed During the Holidays,” details AARP’s random polling results of consumers about their knowledge of the most common scams occurring before holidays, including those related to charitable giving, gift cards, package deliveries, and use of public Wi-Fi.  Seventy percent of the respondents were only able to answer correctly four or fewer questions out of a total of seven questions

“While most of us focus on family and friends during the holidays, fraudsters are zeroing in on our wallets and bank accounts,” warns Nancy LeaMond, Chief Advocacy & Engagement Officer, AARP.  “We’re encouraging consumers to elevate their awareness of some emerging and popular scams, and to also share the information with their families to help keep them safe this holiday season,” she says.

Prompted by the dismal survey results, AARP’s Fraud Watch Network has launched an education campaign, including a new web page, www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/fraud-watch-network, specifically designed to educate the public about the top five holiday scams:

Charitable Giving

According to the National Philanthropic Trust, in 2015 Americans gave $358 billion dollars to charity.  Government officials who regulate nonprofit charities and fundraisers say that while most charities are legitimate, there are many fundraisers, especially telemarketers, who keep 85-90% of the money they raise.

AARP’s survey finds that 70 percent of the respondents who donated to a charity or fundraiser in the past 12 months did so without even asking any questions about how that donation would be spent, and 60 percent made donations without verifying that the charity groups were legally authorized to raise money in their state. .

The pollsters say that about a third of the respondents admitted that they don’t know (15%) or aren’t sure (18%) that, in most states, professional fundraisers must be registered with the government and report how much funds they raise and how much goes to the charitable purpose.  Less than one in ten (8%) could correctly name the government agency they should contact to verify the legitimacy of the charity or fundraiser (the correct answer: Office of the State Secretary).

Gift Cards

Fraud experts warn that scammers sometimes hit store gift card racks, secretly write down or electronically scan the numbers off the cards, then check online or call the toll-free number to see if someone has bought the cards and activated them. As soon as a card is active, the scammers drain the funds.

Fifty-eight percent of AARP’s survey respondents say they plan to buy gift cards from a rack at a big box store, pharmacy or grocery store this holiday season for gifts.  Only 54 percent knew that the gift cards purchased from a gift card rack at retail stores are “not safe” from hackers or thieves than gift cards purchased online.

Pull Out that Credit Card

The AARP survey findings note that almost two-thirds of the holiday shoppers surveyed (64%) say they will buy holiday gifts this year using a debit card.  Consumer protection experts advise using credit cards rather than debit cards for most purchases, to better protect the buyer from fraud and theft.  With credit cards, you are financially liable for only up to $50 of fraudulent use.  But with a lost or stolen debit card, the scam can be more costly and hit you hard in your pocketbook

Surf Safely on Public Wi-Fi

The survey findings found that holiday shoppers incorrectly believe that it is safe to access “sensitive” financial information via a free Wi-Fi network.   About 52 percent of internet users in this survey say they will use free public Wi-Fi in making purchases or to do their banking.  Many of them, while using public Wi-Fi, will make purchases (42%), access their bank accounts (28%), and check their credit card accounts (16%).

Package Signoffs Reduce Scams

The AARP survey findings indicate that over 40 percent of holiday shoppers are unaware that package delivery companies are not responsible for stolen packages that are left at your front door without requiring a delivery signature.  Seventy nine percent of the respondents claim that they ship packages to friends without requiring a signature at least some of the time. Seventy-three percent indicate that they have received home deliveries without having to provide a signature “some” or “all of the time.”

AARP Fraud Watch Protects Consumers

In Rhode Island, AARP has deployed a corps of volunteers who travel around the Ocean State, with a presentation introducing the Fraud Watch Network and offering attendees free copies of “The Con Artist’s Playbook, a brochure written by former con artists, revealing their techniques they use to steal identities. Fraud Watch was AARP’s central theme at last summer’s tournament week at the Newport-based International Tennis Hall of Fame and volunteers were enrolling people as recently as last week at a Providence Bruins game. To date, more than 1,200 Rhode Islanders have signed up for the free fraud alert this year.

“Con artists think they can bully people into forking over their hard-earned money,” AARP Rhode Island State Director Kathleen Connell said. “That’s why today, we’re turning the tables on them and arming Rhode Islanders with the information they need. This require constant vigilance, and the upcoming holiday season is a time when con artists up their game,” she says.

Connell notes that groups of a dozen or more can request a Fraud Watch presentation by calling the AARP state office at 401-248-2671. In 2016, AARP wants to train more volunteers to present Fraud Watch in their communities and to point people to AARP resources designed to combat fraud.

People are more aware of telephone and online scams than ever before,” Connell said. “But the con artists manage to keep one step ahead, inventing new and disarming ways to punch people’s emotional buttons and lead them to a place where they make bad and sometime terribly costly decisions.”

Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin whose office works to alerts and educate consumers about the latest scams making their way through Rhode Island noted that despite the news of increased scams during the holidays, a little perspective is important, “the true meaning of Christmas is about celebrating family and friends and being thankful for what we have.”

 

Aggressive Scams Popping Up All Around the Ocean State

Published in Woonsocket Call on November 25, 2015

On Thursday morning, Mary Smith (not her real name) received a phone call from Sergeant Bradley from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office claiming she had missed jury duty and because so, there was a warrant issued for her arrest. Concerned, the older woman asked the man, who identified himself Sergeant Bradley, what she needed to do to fix the problem. She was instructed to go to a local CVS, purchase a pre paid debit card in the amount of $300 and to meet him in the parking lot of the Washington County Courthouse.

Thinking quick, Mary reported the troubling call to her local police. Like many older Rhode islanders, she had been a target of an aggressive scam now sweeping through the Ocean State, called the “jury duty scam.”

According to the Attorney General’s Office, in the latest rendition of the scam, an individual is calling Rhode Islanders claiming there is a warrant out for their arrest for failure to appear for jury duty. The individual, identifying himself as “Sergeant Bradley,” from either the “Washington County Sheriff’s Office,” the “South County Sheriff’s Office,” or the “Newport County Sheriff’s Office.” The caller ID shows the individual is calling from the 401 area code.

Here’s the scam

“Sergeant Bradley” tells the people he calls that they will be charged with a felony for failure to appear for jury duty and will then be held at the ACI for 30 days, after which they will be brought before Judge Suttell.

In order to avoid being arrested the scammer urges the individual to make an immediate payment using a pre-paid debit card. Mary did not fall for this old scam. It has been reported that at least one person paid more than $900 before they realized they were tricked.

Attorney General Peter Kilmartin calls on anyone receiving a similar phone call or threat to contact either the Rhode Island State Police to report the incident. Kilmartin says, “The individual making these phone calls has just enough information to make themselves sound legitimate.” This information, however, is readily available on the Internet to anyone with access to a computer, he notes.

“It is very important for anyone who receives a similar phone call to write down as much information as possible, don’t provide any personal information to the individual over the telephone, do not pay any money, hang up, and contact the State Police,” adds Kilmartin.

The state’s Office of Attorney General provides the following details about judicial process to keep Rhode Islanders from becoming a victim of the “jury duty scam.”
• Neither the Jury Commissioner nor the Rhode Island Sheriff’s Department makes telephone calls to prospective jurors threatening arrest or demanding that a fine be paid or a bond posted. If a juror who has been legitimately summoned in writing fails to appear, the Jury Commissioner will attempt to make contact and arrange to reschedule his or her service.

• Sheriffs in Rhode Island are a division of the Rhode Island Department of Public Safety and primarily work with the Courts. Unlike most other states, Rhode Island does not have sheriff departments based in counties. Each city and town has its own local police department.

Constant Vigilance Key to Fighting Scams

According to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission list of top consumer fraud complaints last year, more than 6,200 Rhode Island residents were victims of imposter scams.

“These latest Rhode Island scams underscored the need for constant vigilance,” observed AARP Rhode Island State Director Kathleen Connell. “We like to remind people that when people hear about a scam, the first reaction often is ‘I’d never fall for that.’ Well, maybe that’s because you just read about it in the news. People need to remember that they are most susceptible to the fresh scam no one is talking about that comes out of the blue.”

AARP’s Fraud Watch Network, Connell said, is one way to keep current. If you register for the free service you can receive alerts via smart phone or your computer when a new scam surfaces. You also can report a scam going around your neighborhood that is shared across the network, she added. If you’re not connected to the Internet, you can receive alerts and tips via a quarterly newsletter mailed to homes (Lean more and sign up at http://www.fraudwatchnetwork.org).

“Identity theft and fraud costs seniors billions of dollars nationally – in most cases, money that has been set aside for retirement, “Connell noted. “Impersonating police officers, federal agents or financial service companies, scammers use their “authority” to scare a person into paying them. Or, they pretend to be a friend or loved one in trouble who needs money.

“We’re committed to fighting back,” Connell declared, noting that one recent effort was a “reverse boiler room” operation.

In September, Connell and AARP Rhode Island volunteers Alan Neville of Cumberland and Carlo Gamba of West Greenwich met up in Boston with more than 50 others. Borrowing a favorite tactic the con artists’ playbook, AARP Fraud Watch Network staff and volunteers from New England and New York operated their own telemarketing boiler room. Instead of hearing from scammers, local residents received tips and information on how to protect themselves from imposter scams.

Strong Connections Protect Seniors from Scams

“Friends and family are key partners in protecting senior citizens from financial exploitation,” remarked Elderly Affairs Director Charles Fogarty. “Isolation is a major reason that people get victimized, so ensuring that senior citizens living in the community have strong connections to family and friends helps to protect them from scams and exploitation.”

The Department of Elderly Affairs (DEA) monitors fraud and scam reports from a number of sources, and distributes those notices to a network of approximately 500 partners in the community. If the victim of a scam is referred to DEA, they immediately contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Unit. DEA does not investigate instances of scams perpetrated by strangers, but does investigate financial exploitation of an older adult by family or acquaintances.

Make sure abuse of the elderly is no longer a ‘dirty little secret’

Published in Pawtucket Times on October 5, 2015 

Last September, 86-year-old Martha Smith (not her real name) woke up in the middle of the night to a loud noises coming from the first floor of her East Bay apartment. When she went to investigate the commotion, she found her granddaughter in the kitchen. When Martha asked her granddaughter what was going on, the young woman started to verbally and physically abuse her. At one point, she even tried to suffocate Martha with a pillow.

Martha’s other granddaughter came to her aid, only to be assaulted as well. When the police arrived after Martha had tried to call 911, the phone had been ripped out of her hand by her abusive granddaughter, but they heard Martha’s screams of help coming from the house.

According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office, the granddaughter was arrested and is now awaiting trial.

We grow up being taught to respect our elders. But, it seems these lessons are not learned or even followed. Martha’s abuse by her granddaughter is a sad tale, but it happens all too often to our nation’s elderly.

Elder Abuse Growing The National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse defines domestic violence on elders as “an escalating pattern of violence or intimidation by an intimate partner, which is used to gain power and control.” And the perpetrator of the violence is not always a spouse, but more often than not it is a family member, as was the case with

Herb Weiss Martha Smith. Victims may be fearful to report the abuse to doctors or law enforcement for fear of the violence escalating, or because the victim relies on the abuser or their family for caregiving.

The National Center on Elder Abuse has reported that during calendar year 2010, there were nearly six million reported cases of elder abuse, representing nearly 10 percent of that year’s elderly population. The Center acknowledged that it really have a handle as to how many people are suffering from elder abuse and neglect, either because signs of abuse and neglect are missed by professionals working with older persons, or because of a reluctance on the part of the abused person to file a report.

America’s “dirty little secret” is getting worse by the graying of America’s population. The numbers are growing – the 2010 United States census recorded the greatest number and proportion of people 65 and older in its counting history: 40.3 million or 13 percent of the population.

Attacking Elder Abuse in R.I. In Rhode Island, cases of domestic violence against older people are handled by specially trained prosecutors and victim advocates at the Office of Attorney General. And, there are special laws on the books that provide for enhanced criminal penalties for assault of a person of 60 years of age.

“We have specialized prosecution units for those who commit domestic violence against older people,” said Attorney General Peter Kilmartin. “The dedicated prosecutors, victims advocates and support staff in our Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Unit and Elder Abuse Unit deal with these cases each and every day, working to bring justice for victims while minimizing their emotional trauma. Our domestic violence and elder abuse prosecutors and victim advocates are all specially trained to handle the highly sensitive details of domestic violence cases, which are often extremely emotionally charged,” he notes.

In 2014, the General Assembly passed legislation that allows the release of patient records for investigation and prosecution of physical assault on an older person if a health care provider believes, after providing services to the elder patient, is or has been physically, psychologically or sexually abused.

“Due to the nature of elder abuse crimes, time is of the essence. The victims in these cases are often vulnerable and face a myriad of health challenges, thus making a timely investigation more critical to ensure the victim’s availability to participate in the investigation and prosecution” added Kilmartin. “Moreover, the perpetrator of elder abuse is most often known to the victim, making it less likely for the victim to report,” he says.

AARP Tackles Elder Abuse Across the United States “Abuse of older Americans, whether it be physical or financial, is unconscionable. That’s why AARP is fighting in states across the nation for new laws to crack down on abuse and financial exploitation and strengthen protections for victims so all Americans can live with dignity and independence as they age,” says AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond.

AARP national staff, state chapters and volunteers are in the trenches fighting against elder abuse and exploitation. According the nation’s largest aging advocacy group, adequate funding must be given to preserve and strengthen the states adult protection services agencies. These agencies investigate complaints about abuse, neglect and exploitation of adults who are unable to care for themselves or make decisions due to mental or physical impairment, illness or a crisis in their lives.

In 2014, AARP advocated for increased funding and to ward off efforts to cut funding for the agencies in five states: Arizona, Ohio, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming.

AARP also calls for better prevention and detection of financial exploitation of the nation’s elderly. While states legislatures look at different ways to addressing this issue, many create task forces, even enact new legislation to address this abuse. According to the Washington, D.C. based nonprofit, last year, seven states enacted bills to protect their older residents against abuse and exploitation: Florida, Kansas, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Oregon, Virginia and here in Rhode Island.

In 2014, the General Assembly passed a law supported by AARP Rhode Island that extended the statute of limitations for cases of financial crime against the elderly from three years to 10 years.

Meanwhile, both Iowa and West Virginia adopted legislation last year to increase criminal and civil penalties against perpetrators of financial exploitation and to update the definition of financial exploitation.

Finally, uniform laws focused on adult guardianship and power of attorney not only support those who provide caregiving across state lines, but also create processes to help protect older people against abuse and exploitation. Six states, including Rhode Island, passed uniform adult guardianship or power of attorney laws in 2014, and this year additional states have already introduced legislation. Abuse at Any Age No matter a victim’s age, domestic violence and abuse is about the perpetrator trying to gain power and control over their victim. Domestic violence against older people can include physical, psychological, sexual and economic abuse, stalking, and tactics meant to isolate the victim from other people and supportive services October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and the statistics are alarming. According to the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, 24 people per minute are victims of physical violence, rape or stalking by an intimate partner in the United States. One in four women, and one in seven men, will be a victim of domestic violence at some point in their lifetime. On average, three women are killed every day at the hands of a current or former intimate partner. Being in Rhode Island, with statistics like that, chances are you know someone who has been abused.

Help is available. In 2014, over 400 senior Rhode Islanders received domestic violence victim services from the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence (RICADV)’s six member agencies. The RICADV’s member agencies provide a wide array of services for victims, including hotline support, emergency shelter, support groups, counseling services, and assistance with the legal system.

In addition, specialized shelter and other services are available for older victims of domestic violence through a partnership between the RICADV and the Saint Elizabeth Community. For more information about these organizations and services, call the statewide Helpline at 800-494-8100. If you hear or see someone being hurt, call 911 immediately.