Seniors are really popular with scam artists. Scammers assume seniors have access to considerable sums of cash and are relatively easy to persuade.
In recent months, scammers operating in Champaign-Urbana have impersonated Urbana Police and Internal Revenue Service agents. In both cases, the scammers warn that they have an arrest warrant that can be mitigated if the person pays a “fine.”
In early 2019, Champaign Police reported two instances of “skimming” where scammers attach a malicious credit/debit card reader to a merchant’s real payment terminal to steal financial and personal information from unwitting customers.
It’s a good idea to be aware of what’s going on in C-U and know how to report scams that may target you. Here are a couple of resources that can help.
The National Council on Aging publishes a number of blogs dealing with economic security that are worth checking out. Of particular interest is the most popular scams targeting seniors.
The Federal Trade Commission also has great information about avoiding scams and how to report being scammed. Sharing what you know about scams here in C-U might help people who you know – your friends and neighbors – avoid getting ripped off.