Schenectady Police warns about senior scams

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Schenectady Police Department has reported an increase in scams targeting seniors. These scams involve the victim usually being contacted via computer initially.

The victims are either told they owe money to resolve an issue or that they have won a car and need to pay the taxes. The scammer will then ask the victim to withdraw money and deposit it into an account, purchase pre-paid gift cards, or purchase items like gold.

The victims of these scams were older adults. Here are some tips to protect yourself from these scams:

• Never email financial information or account numbers
• Be cautious when opening attachments and downloading files from emails
• If you believe something is suspicious, don’t respond
• Never rely on caller ID alone to authenticate a caller. Scammers can “spoof”
  caller IDs to make it appear that they are calling from a legitimate agency. If you’re
  unsure, hang up, look up the company’s actual number, and call them back.
• You cannot win a contest you did not enter.
• Legitimate businesses will not ask you to purchase pre-paid debit cards, gift cards or
  other items as forms of payment.

The Police Department has free booklets provided by the FDIC and the Bureau of Consumer and Financial Protection entitled “Money Smart for Older Adults”, that are available at the front desk for those who need resources about the scams.