Scam Artists Target Seniors

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Scam Artists at the Yakima Herald-Republic

May 29, 2003
1,140 words
The Yakima Herald-Republic

Scam Artists Target Seniors

By DORI HARRELL

All 82-year-old Gale Thompson really wanted was the free case of Coca-Cola promised him.

Instead, he wound up with two vacuums he neither wanted nor needed, plus a nearly $3,000 bill on his Visa card.

The soda pop never arrived.

"I was definitely scammed," Thompson said.

The Yakima resident and his grown children believe he was targeted by a vacuum cleaner con artist simply because he's a senior citizen.

It happened in January, but it wasn't until recently Thompson's children discovered it.

That's because their father was too embarrassed to tell them what happened.

Thompson's not alone. Many seniors who've been exploited don't report it out of embarrassment or shame.

But there are ways to help protect older parents, said Doug Shadel, state director of the senior citizens advocacy group AARP and a former state assistant attorney general who worked on consumer fraud issues.

Most important, he and other experts say, is regularly talking to and visiting parents and being familiar, when allowed, with their spending.

"But be careful not to make them feel stupid," Shadel advised. "That'll just drive a wedge between you and them."

Seniors are targeted because they're available during the day and often have money to spend, said Shadel, who co-authored the 1994 book "Scams and Schemes."

In addition, they're sometimes lonely, and it can be fun to talk to people on the phone and have visitors in their homes.

In the past, many may have conducted business with little more than a handshake and are more trusting, he added.

"Con artists are looking for people they can control," he said.

Rather than ask for money upfront, unscrupulous telemarketers will often ask personal questions, seeking information they can later use against their victims.

Thompson, for example, was asked by a telemarketer if he'd be willing to have a demonstration in his home.

He recounts the conversation like this:

"What kind of demonstration?" he asked.

No answer.

"What kind of pop do you like to drink?" the woman telemarketer asked instead.

"Coca-Cola. I've been drinking it for 70 years."

"Along with the demonstration, we'll bring you a free case of Coke."

"What kind of demonstration do I have to have?"

"It's a vacuum cleaner."

"I don't need a new vacuum. I have a Kirby."

The caller eventually talked him into the demonstration.

That type of conversation is tantamount to a banker robber casing a joint, Shadel said.

"We used to say, just don't give out your credit card information," he said. "Now we say, don't give out any personal information."

Thompson's son and daughter-in-law, Gary and Victoria, learned about the transaction two months ago when they left California and temporarily moved in with him while they searched for a home of their own.

When they found the two new vacuums, they asked him about them, because his Kirby was just 4 years old.

That's when the story came out.

A salesman showed up at Thompson's door — without any Coke — and Thompson couldn't get rid of him.

He offered Thompson $1,200 for his Kirby and promised to mail a check. He asked to see Thompson's credit card.

"He didn't write anything down, so he must have memorized the number," Thompson said.

The salesman scurried the Kirby out the door and left the vacuum he'd demonstrated.

But Thompson said the man also sneaked a second vacuum into a bedroom when Thompson briefly left the living room.

Thompson did receive a check for $200, $1,000 less than promised. He hasn't cashed it because he's not satisfied with the amount.

The Thompsons are fighting back.

"I didn't think there would be people like that. Nothing he told me was true," Thompson said. "I don't want to see other people get scammed."

They've called the vacuum cleaner company several times, but are only told the vacuums were sold through an independent distributor and can't be returned.

The Thompsons tried to return the equipment anyway, but they received them back in the mail last week.

They've fired off a letter to the state Attorney General's office and are planning to send one to the Better Business Bureau.

They're working with their credit card company, which has agreed to help resolve the issue.

And most importantly, the couple talked with Gale Thompson about not giving out information over the phone, at the door or through the mail, and are searching for other ways to protect him.

"I don't give out information now. But can I be strong when Victoria's gone?" Gale Thompson wondered.

Door-to-door vacuum cleaner sales are one of the most persistent scams against seniors, said Owen Clarke, a senior assistant Attorney General based in Spokane.

"They canvass neighborhoods and towns to find out where elderly people live," Clarke said. "They offer prizes and hard-sell tactics."

And once they've made a sale, they sometimes return to borrow or steal money from their victims, he said.

"If you're an 85-year-old lady and you live alone, and you've got a 30-year-old guy in your house being aggressive, it's hard to resist," Clarke said.

Like Shadel, he said the best thing adult children can do is stay in close contact with their parents.

"Try to review financial transactions if the parents are willing," he said. "That's probably the most important thing."

That's what Gary and Victoria Thompson would like to do with their father.

But Gale Thompson's reluctant. He's been taking care of matters himself all these years, and says he's more aware now.

"When they call now, I say no." he said. "I'll be more cautious, I surely will."

Protect Your Folks From Fraud:

Ways adult children of elderly parents can help protect them against fraud and scams:
* Talk with and visit parents on a regular basis and become familiar with their finances.

* Take their names and phone numbers off direct marketing lists.

* Review their mail if permitted to do so.

* If possible, have an accounting firm pay bills and balance checkbooks.

Ask Parents:

* Not to answer the door unless a visitor is expected.

* To have an answering machine or voice mail screen calls.

* To refuse to give any personal information, even small things like their favorite colors.

* To not to respond to sweepstakes offers.

* To review possible purchases with a designated son or daughter before completing a transaction with suspicious persons.

To remove names from telemarketing lists, send a signed postcard or letter including full name, address and telephone number to The DMA Telephone Preference Service, P.O. Box 1559, Carmel, NY 10512.

To remove names from mail marketing lists, send the same information to The Mail Preference Service, Dept. 10288314, Direct Marketing Association, P.O. Box 282, Carmel, NY 10512.

The association says telemarketer calls and advertising mail should begin to decrease within three months. Names are kept on the "do-not call" lists for five years.

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