Here are a number of scenarios one might face on the telephone. Now mind you, one does not have to be a senior citizen to receive these calls. It’s just scammers would prefer the phone answerer be a senior citizen since they are significantly more likely to fall for one of these.
The phone rings. The person on the other end says, “Grandma, it’s me. Can you hear me? I’ve been arrested, I am in jail and I need you to send me money for bail!” Often, Grandma will answer with a grandchild’s first name and say “Is that you, Johnny?” Right there, the scammer has his hook. You see, Johnny is not really Johnny. It could be a scammer in India, Pakistan, India — anywhere for that matter. But Grandma loves her grandson and will do whatever it takes, whatever it costs, to bail him out.
The phone rings. The caller ID may even say “PSE&G” with the correct 800 number to the company. The caller says, “Sir, your electricity is about to be shut off. But if you can make a payment right now, it won’t be cut.” The senior citizen hears this, fears losing power, so continues to listen. “All you have to do is go buy four, $50 gift cards from Target, bring them back and read me the numbers on the back. Then, you’ll be good to go.”
Here, again, is the thing — PSE&G, nor any company, would ever, ever ask one to purchase store gift cards to pay a utility, the IRS or anyone. Target gift cards are for the Target store — nowhere else. But the person on the other end of the call doesn’t know this — goes to the Target — and that money is gone forever.
There were never a chance the power would have been cut off, either.
Next, the phone rings. The caller says “This is the IRS. You have unpaid taxes from 2012 and 2013 and an arrest warrant has been issued for your arrest. However, if you go get gift cards, we can cancel the warrant — otherwise the police will be showing up at your doorstep.” Imagine hearing that out of the blue. It’s enough to send anyone — especially a senior citizen — into a great panic. So the senior follows the directives and all along, it was garbage. There was no warrant. No back taxes. It’s all part of a network of worldwide scams that have heisted billions upon billions of dollars from unsuspecting people.
It’s Americans falling for it. It’s Britons falling for it. It’s Canadians falling for it. It’s people all over.
So last week, Thursday, June 26, the Kearny Police Department’s Community Oriented Policing Unit (COP) — Sgt. Jack Grimm, Officer Janitza Aquino and Officer Ryan Brady — along with Capt. Glen Reed and several other visiting officers, attended the Henrietta Benstead Senior Center on Columbia Avenue to offer all sorts of scenarios and tips for senior citizens to avoid becoming the next victim.
There are many others not yet mentioned, the Kearny PD says, including Medicare fraud, prescription-drug schemes, funeral scams, the sale of fake anti-aging products, an assortment of telemarketing frauds, Internet-based thievery, investment schemes, homeowners scams, you’ve won the lottery calls when you’ve won nothing (think Publisher’s Clearing House), distraction burglaries, romance scams and now, frighteningly, scams involving artificial intelligence that is so real, it’s next to impossible to know it’s not real.
Grimm pointed to one particular scam that indirectly related to the Kearny Police Department some time ago.
“A good question came up when we were at Spruce Terrace (hosting a similar event there),” Grimm said. “Do we, the Kearny PD, fundraise? Once a year, our PBA civic association does fundraise. We have a civic account that does take money in and we give it out to charity. But if you get that phone call I get two, three times a year from the ‘National Police Alliance,’ so I said, ‘I’m a police officers and I never heard of you.’ You know what the next thing I hear is? Silence. So those ‘organizations,’ I don’t know but if it does say “Kearny PD” we do raise funds once a year.”
Grimm also noted a scammer once spoofed the Kearny PD’s telephone number — (201) 998-1313 — but it wasn’t really the department. Scammers have gotten that good that they can make the number look like legit agencies, businesses or people.
The suggestion from Grimm and the COP? Hang up and call back, when in doubt. Chances are when you call the number back, if it’s been spoofed, you’ll quickly learn you never got a legitimate call.
In all, meanwhile, Aquino had a simple, yet profound conclusion to the remarks given that day and the tips she offered.
“Always shred anything with your personal information on it,” she said. “And if it looks or sounds suspicious, verify it or report it.”
Lastly, talk to others if you think you may have encountered a scammer. Don’t feel ashamed — it has happened to too many not to speak about it. Ask family members, friends, anyone you trust. You can even discuss such instances at the Henrietta Benstead Center if you’re a member.
But again, remember to report suspicious calls by reaching out the police department where you live. You may just help someone else from falling prey to the next scam.
Learn more about the writer ...
Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.