A rise in senior citizens fraud scams

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - Scammers are getting increasingly sophisticated in their attempts to get your personal information. And if you’re not careful, you might lose the money you were saving for retirement, planning to pass down to family members, or just use it for daily needs.

The FBI sounded the alarm on the rise in elderly fraud scams, according to the 2021 Internet Crime Complaint Center Report. Approximately 92,000 victims lost a total of $1.7 billion last year.

One Rapid City senior citizen opened up about her being scammed at a gas station in Colorado ... trying to pump gas when the card reader at the pump told her to go pay inside ... even though she had already used her credit card.

“When we got home, I called the company, ya know, the credit card company, and they said, yea, we blocked that because we suspected a scam,” said Nancy Stephenson.

According to Stephenson, after leaving her card with a gas station attendant. The credit card company flagged a $500 charge for flowers from that same gas station. They ultimately declined the charge.

Scams disproportionately target senior citizens. Often due to their lack of familiarity with cutting-edge technology, sometimes making them an easy target.

“Ask questions of whomever it is that’s calling you. If you get one saying that it’s your grandson, ask for their name, date of birth, or anything you can do to check and see if it is someone you know,” said Susan Sprecher.

If you or someone you know has been a scam victim, you can call the National Elder Fraud Hotline at (833) 372-8311.

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