Senior Scam Calls on the Rise

Last year, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) received 45 reports of scammers directly targeting people over 50 or older.  Many of these scammers have impersonated law enforcement agencies demanding money, accusing the person who receives the call for missing Federal Grand Jury appearances and related threats of arrest.  

“The Alameda County Sheriff's Office will never call anyone to arrange payment in lieu of court or to clear a warrant. If someone receives a call, text, or email from someone claiming to be associated with the ACSO, do not provide the requested information,” Captain Tya Modeste of Alameda County Sheriff’s Office told the Forum. 

According to the sheriff's office, the preferred methods of collection from these scammers include Bitcoin, electronic transfer funds, Vanilla Reload, and MoneyPak/Green Dot. Sadly, there are many ways for these types of scams, especially for senior citizens. 

The recommendation, according to Captain Modeste, is that if the call is from a local telephone number, call your name, or refer to other personal information, it is a scam.  

“Play it safe and never agree to send money or meet up with someone from an unsolicited call, email, or text. Contact your local law enforcement for assistance if you believe you are the target/victim of a scam,” Modeste told the Forum.  

Modeste recommends contacting the Clerk of Court's office of the U.S. District Court in the local area immediately if anyone is contacted about a call related to a Grand Jury appearance. Federal law agencies would never call to collect payment about missed appearances or citations to substitute arrests or warrant issues.  

The Federal Trade Commission advises blocking scammer calls that are unknown to callers. While being on a National Do Not Registry might help with unwanted sales calls, scammers would continue to call regardless if anyone is on the list. 

“Scammers might pretend to be law enforcement or a federal agency. They might say you’ll be arrested, fined, or deported if you don’t pay taxes or some other debt right away. The goal is to scare you into paying. But real law enforcement and federal agencies won’t call and threaten you,” states the FTC website. 
For more information, visit the FTC’s website: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/phone-scams.