March 19, 2014
i$3ortlanì» (Observer
Partnership
to Protect
Seniors
from
Scammers
Frantic calls from grandchil
dren in trouble arrive late at
night; they need help immedi
ately and plea for money. Wor
ried grandparents send wire transfers as in-
structed-often thousands of dollars. However,
the grandchildren are safe, the callers are
scammers and the money is gone.
The "Grandparent Scam" has been around for
years and is just one variation of the imppster
scams that dupe tens of thousands of consumers
every year. Better Business Bureau serving
Alaska, Oregon and Western Washington and
the Portland Police Bureau's White Collar Crimes
Unit are teaming up to offer tips on avoiding
these threats:
• Be skeptical. Ask questions that only fam
ily members would know--like pet names or
favorite foods--without revealing too much per
sonal information.
• Verify information. Check with family mem
bers to confirm the locations of grandchildren.
• Don't send money. Never wire money out of
the country to persons unknown.
• Stay private. Regularly update privacy set
tings for social media sites. Scammers often
make their stories more believable by trolling for
personal information on Facebook, Twitter and
similar sites.
• Know where to turn. Victim s should
expediently report incidents to local law en
forcem ent agencies and the state Attorney
General's Office.
Wanda Russell of Portland, Ore., almost fell
for this classic "Grandparent Scam": She re
ceived a call from a person claiming to be her
grandson; he told her that he had been in a fight
and sounded "funny" due to a broken nose. The
caller claimed that he was being illegally held in
a Mexican jail and needed help posting bail,
asking Russell to wire him money.
"He sounded pretty convincing, but I remem
bered reading about this scam, so I kept asking
questions," Russell said. Once the "grandson"
realized that his target was doubtful, he immedi
ately ended the call.
"I see at least one report a month where an
elderly person loses money—that's not recover
able—to this scam," says Sergeant Vic Dody
with the White Collar Crimes Unit, "Russell was
one of the lucky ones."
Loved ones who legitimately need help will
never get angry when asked questions to verify
identities. For information on the latest scams,
v isit BB B's News & E vents page at
www.bbb.org/alaskaoregonwesternwashington/
news-events/
Answer Center
c o n t i n u e d f r o m page 2
e x c itin g an d a p riv ile g e . Its lo c a tio n in th e n ew S tu d e n t C o m
m o n s B u ild in g is fittin g ; to g e th e r th e y h e ra ld a n ew e ra o f
se rv ic e an d o p p o rtu n ity fo r o u r stu d e n ts a n d c o m m u n ity .
W ith in th e n e x t tw o y e a rs, P C C is lo o k in g to h a v e A n sw e r
C e n te rs at all fo u r o f its c a m p u se s u sin g fu n d in g th ro u g h the
c o lle g e ’s B o n d P ro g ram .
“O u r aim is to e n su re th a t stu d e n ts feel v a lu e d an d s u p
p o rte d fro m th e ir first in te ra c tio n w ith th e c o lle g e all th e w ay
th ro u g h g ra d u a tio n a n d b e y o n d ,” said M iria m F rie d m a n , d e an
o f S tu d e n t D e v e lo p m e n t at the S o u th e a st C en ter.
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