About Scam Cases in Salt Lake City Impacting the Elderly
Senior fraud exists in Salt Lake City as it does in almost every major city across the country. In 2019, U.S. Attorney for Utah John Huber said: "an estimated $3 billion is stolen each year from older Americans through financial investment schemes, grandparent scams, fake prizes, romance scams, and fraudulent IRS refunds."
Just recently, KSL(www.ksl.com) reported that an 86-year-old Utah man thought he had won a two multimillion-dollar sweepstake prize. The man was coned in to paying taxes on his winnings first and lost almost $93,000.
According to court documents, when the older man's bank tried to stop him from sending more money, "he opened an account at another bank." "He appeared to understand that he was being defrauded, but he held out hope that they (the alleged sweepstakes winnings) were legitimate," one of the affidavits states. This true story shows how confused some seniors can become when being abused.
Other recent scam reports include a "romance fraud" scheme where an 80-year-old Hurricane woman lost $275,000 when tricked by a man performing work for her.
It is important to remind seniors that there are very sophisticated scams and ask them to stay alert, and to never give out any financial information without verifying the company and person requesting the money.
Seniors check out the AARP website, fraudwatchnetwork.org, and AARP also has a telephone number (877-908-3360), where seniors can get information about potential scams.
For more information on elderly fraud in Utah, visit:
https://www.ksl.com/article/46718428/utah-cases-show-how-scammers-defraud-the-elderly
Please help us share this information and warn seniors of the types of fraud and scams happening in the state.
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Resource Notes:
Utah cases show how scammers defraud the elderly | KSL.com. https://www.ksl.com/article/46718428/utah-cases-show-how-scammers-defraud-the-elderly