Scam artists take advantage of seniors, mistaking manners for weakness
GLASSBORO -- Glassboro Intermediate School recently gave senior citizens critical tools to protect themselves against internet fraud. The school hosted dinner and a seminar entitled "Grandparents Gone Wired: Internet Fraud." Seminar instructor Christina Fiscella provided seniors with tips on avoiding online fraud. Fiscella is a professional investigator and a former New Jersey attorney general detective. The seminar was sponsored by the Borough of Glassboro Senior Education Program through the Municipal Alliance and the GIS Student Government Association.
Fiscella said thieves may target seniors because they believe seniors will have ready access to cash due to high-credit scores, retirement nest eggs and home equity. Some scam artists take advantage of seniors, mistaking their polite manners for weakness.
Fiscella offered a long list of tips. Here are a few.
EBAY -- Check buyers' feedback. The seller should have numerous sales and positive feedback. Look for a physical address, not just a P.O. box. Check the return policy before buying. Protect your personal information by purchasing through Pay Pal.
Craigs List -- Ask a lot of questions before buying. Don't buy from someone who only lists his/her email address and no phone number or physical address. Don't go alone, and don't leave the meeting place to go to a second location. Meet in public. Some people feel safest meeting near a police station. Internet Meeting Places are popping up. They give buyers and sellers a chance to meet in public.
The City of Woodbury offers an Internet Purchase Exchange Location, or a Safe Exchange Zone. Located at 220 S. Broad Street, as part of the new Police Station facility, the Safe Exchange Zone with its 24-hour video surveillance offers Internet shoppers a space to securely conduct transactions. Woodbury Police Prioritize Safe Commerce
Phishing Scams -- These scams redirect your computer to bogus sites to acquire your personal information, steal money or infiltrate your computer with malware. Poor spelling, bad grammar, requests for credit card information, and phone calls/emails requesting access to your computer are red flags. Delete suspicious emails. Never click on suspicious web addresses. Frequently, you can hover over a sender's name or a web link without clicking it to reveal the true email or web address.
Facebook -- "Like Farming" has become a common fraud. You may see a sad picture with a post imploring, "Can I get a million likes?" As more and more people like or share these items, algorithms cause the posts to become more popular. Scam artists will often post these messages, wait until the item acquires a large number of likes and then replace the content or sell the page to businesses. The businesses may then add malware to the pages, collect personal data or market merchandise on the pages in an attempt to get credit card information. Thieves also look to obtain personal information by becoming friends with you on Facebook. Choose your Facebook friends wisely!
For more information or two report fraud, see the following: FBI (https://tips.fbi.gov/), Better Business Bureau (www.bbb.org/council/bbb-scam-stopper/) or Federal Government (https://www.usa.gov/online-safety).
This item submitted by Glassboro School District.