Hello Citizens!
So in speaking with our wonderfully dashing Fraud Detective this fine morning, it has come to our attention that far too many of our elderly people are STILL being victimized by these….jerks for lack of a better word… and their phone/internet scams.
It is incumbent upon us as the younger generation to help counter these dastardly attempts to swindle good people of their monies. Just as they sat you down for the ever famous and important “birds and bees talk”, we need to sit our parents and grandparents down and explain to them these are not federal agents but scam artists whose one purpose is taking their cash. Let Memaw and Pepaw know that NO government agency is going to require gift cards as forms of payment. Ever. Never ever.
Some of the more popular ones that we are hearing regarding gift card payments continue to be:
- Your social security number has been suspended/frozen for lack of fine payment (this is not a real thing that can happen).
-You have warrants and the local authorities are after you (possible….but probably not likely) Call us at (972) 412 6200 if you think you might, but in our experience, people are well aware if they have warrants 90% of the time.
- You have porn viruses on your computer and Microsoft needs $XXX.XX to clean them out. ……..gross. And don’t use gift cards to pay Microsoft.
-Your grandchild is in jail and needs bail money. If its anyone other than that grandchild or requested in the form of Target and or Wal Mart gift cards, chalk that one up to scam.
With the holidays ramping up, so are these thieves’ efforts. I will do my part and be contacting the various retailers within our fine city this week to see if we can’t place this attached sign at the registers before the main holiday rush.
It seems silly to us youngins and I’m saying a lot of this tongue in cheek, but to good, honest folk who have never been confronted with a situation to where their personal freedoms are about to be stripped away, it’s terrifying and makes them do things in a panic that they wouldn’t normally do.
So please have this conversation with your older family members so that your Grandma has one less “I told you so” in her back pocket against Granddad this Thanksgiving. He will thank you later.
Information courtesy of Rowlett Police Department
