Organizations help seniors avoid scams

WHEATON, Ill. (Catholic Explorer) -- Two gentlemen--dressed in work clothes but with pleasant demeanors--rang the doorbell, suggesting that the elderly resident needed to have repairs done on her roof. Because she lived alone and had no family to counsel with, the senior accepted the offer. The men began work right away.

A month later, the reality of the situation became clear--the woman in question had a hole in her roof and the men had disappeared with over $500 of her savings. While the situation above is fictional, seniors around the country are falling prey to scams just like this one every day. Within the Diocese of Joliet there are many organizations dedicated to putting a halt to the kind of scams that take advantage of the frail and fragile elderly. These programs are designed to keep seniors from becoming victims by providing them with information enough to make them leery of suspicious offers. One such organization is Seniors and Law Enforcement Working Together, located in Milton Township. According to Ken McNatt, chairman of the organization, SALT is affiliated with American Association of Retired Persons Criminal Justice Services, the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the National Sheriffs' Association. The Milton Township branch of SALT has been in existence for six years, McNatt said. "We meet monthly and have speakers on various subjects that are important to seniors." In addition, the chairman said, the chapter publishes a quarterly newsletter that updates seniors on scams and other potential crimes that might concern them. Seniors are preyed upon by con artists counting on the ability to take advantage of someone's advanced age and tendency for memory loss and confusion. Seniors make up 15 percent of the U.S. population, but when it comes to fraud, they comprise over 30 percent of victims, said McNatt. In his experience, he said seniors are vulnerable because many are willing to believe what people tell them. "Educating seniors against scams is one of our most important areas," he added. Most of the scam information acquired by SALT comes from members within the organization itself. Word-of-mouth carries a lot of weight among seniors, he said. Members who have been victimized or who become aware of scams in the area are quick to file a report with the chapter. One of the longest running scams in the state is home repair fraud, said Mary Fry, director of the Senior Services Case Coordination Unit for Will County. "Home repair fraud occurs when a pair of workers show up at a senior citizen's door and offer to fix their roof or do some other form of repair," she said. Once the senior has agreed to give them a down payment and a contract has been signed, Fry detailed, the con artists perform shoddy work or simply flee the scene with the victim's money in hand. Social workers and law enforcement officials refer to another scam that has worked to rob a multitude of seniors nationwide of their savings as the sweepstakes scam. Seniors are sent an envelope claiming they have won a large sum of money, which is claimed by filling out a card with their address, phone number and other important information. "The information is then sold to telemarketers and seniors find their mailboxes stuffed full of junk mail," she added. They never get the promised money. The director suggested that seniors never give out any type of personal information unless they are familiar with the organization. In addition, Fry said seniors should never open their door to anyone they don't know or write a check for services such as home repair, if the workers cannot provide proper identification or references. "If a senior thinks they are being scammed, they should call the authorities right away," she added. However, with the advent of the Internet and the recent adoption of Medicare part D, newer scams are quickly coming to the attention of authorities. "Identity theft is still one of the biggest problems that we see," Fry added. When a senior falls prey to a scam, most of the legal aspects are handled in small claims court. "Many of our clients are low income and we try to keep it out of court for their sake," said Sonia Weaver, a staff attorney with Will County Legal Services in Joliet. The attorney added that many victims are interested in nothing more than getting their lives back on track after losing their life savings. "We provide advice and write letters to the contractors," added Weaver. If a case does work its way into civil court, Weaver said, the firm can only provide referrals to other law firms that could better handle the case. However, many senior organizations are focused on stopping fraud before it becomes a major problem, causing a drain on the lifesavings and retirement earnings of one of the nation's most vulnerable population. Toward that end, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan created the "Senior Sleuths" program in 2004. According to Micah Roderick, a program specialist at the Attorney General's Office, the program was created to train seniors to identify different types of fraud and ways to avoid them. "We want to provide seniors with the means to combat fraud," he added. The training consists of a 90-minute meeting held at senior centers and township facilities around the state. Currently, the program is presented in three or four regions a month. Senior Sleuths are comprised of volunteer senior citizens who are trained to help the more vulnerable among the group of aging citizens in filing complaints with the Consumer Fraud Bureau. The trainers also help seniors identify ways to self-monitor telemarketing calls and door-to-door solicitations. In addition, Roderick said, the role of the volunteer trainer is public awareness about those who would target the elderly. As trainers become available, the program is opened at senior service centers around the state. The list of locations is kept up-to-date and it is available at www.Ag.state.il.us/seniors/sleuths.html. Roderick said the sessions cover everything from Medicare and Medicaid scams to charity fraud. Currently the program boasts a membership of 300 volunteers, and while he said he was grateful for all the support the program has received, Roderick said he is aware that there is more work to do. "We are here to empower seniors," he added.

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This story was made available to Catholic Online by permission of the Catholic Explorer(www.catholicexplorer.com), official newspaper of the Diocese of Joliet, Ill.