Ok folks, let’s get serious for a minute. We have been flooded here at the SSPD recently with calls, emails and walk-ins about seniors getting scammed. Is it Georgia, Metro-Atlanta, Sandy Springs or is it just coincidental that we are going through a rough time?
Whatever it is, it’s a good time for another lesson about scams. The big two that I have been contacted about recently are: 1) Free Alarm System if you let the company install a sign in your front yard. It’s not free. They will ask for your information and then charge you. 2) Free Life Alert System is the same type of scam, just a different product.
As with any scam, if a person calls you and tries to give you some line about a free product, demand they remove you from calling list. If it’s a robo call, wait until the end of the message before you hang up. There may be an option to opt-out of future calls. If not, hang up. You can also contact your phone company to see if they can block the number. I also suggest making a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at www.ftc.gov.
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Other scams to watch out for: 1) a person calls and acts like a relative or friend and says they are in jail or stuck in another country and need money. 2) Some stranger befriends you in the parking lot and says they need money because they have cancer. 3) A different stranger in a parking lot approaches you and says they found a bag full of money and they would like to split it with you. This is the making of a pigeon drop scam.
And a few more: Credit-related schemes: you are promised a credit card regardless of your credit history, for a fee. Investment Fraud: you are invited to invest in some wonderful opportunity and end up losing your money. Foreign Lottery Scam: you are offered tickets to enter a foreign lottery or you get contacted that you have won a foreign lottery.
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The list goes on. IF SOUNDS TO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT IS. DELETE THE EMAIL, HANG UP THE PHONE AND/OR SHRED THE LETTER YOU GET IN THE MAIL. DON’T BE A VICTIM.
Officer Larry Jacobs is the Crime Prevention Officer for the Sandy Springs Police Department. He can be reached directly at ljacobs@sandyspringsga.gov.