By Debbie Gardner
debbieg@thereminder.com
Fraud – phone, Internet, mail, identity theft – is becoming an exponential problem in our increasingly connected world. AARP State Director Michael E. Festa, a former Middlesex County Assistant District Attorney, State Representative (1999 to 2007) and Secretary of Elder Affairs for Gov. Deval Patrick (2007 to 2009) has been on the forefront of protecting Bay Staters from this and other threats his entire career.
Since 2013 he’s used his position with AARP to advocate that all consumers educate themselves on how to detect and protect themselves against fraud.
Here’s what Festa told Prime about this growing threat.
Q: Tech-based fraud schemes grab media attention, but they aren’t the only cons. What other types of fraud should consumers be on the lookout for?
“The Federal Trade Commission has recorded 37,000 complaints in Massachusetts that were fraud-related in the past year. The breakdown shows 77 percent of this fraud originates over the phone, 8 percent is through the mail, 6 percent is through the Web. Person-to-person fraud schemes – the kind of door-to-door stuff elders remember – is less than 6 percent.
“Of that phone fraud, debt collection call scams are really top of the list of complaints. The number two is imposter calls – people who pretend to be a friend or distant relative in need or money or a collection agent from the IRS The IRS never calls you, they send a letter, though now there are scammers using false IRS letterheads, too. The third is a computer technician who is contacting you because of a problem with your computer or a phone or mobile service company indicating you have a billing problem.
“The level of sophistication of the person on the other end of the phone has exponentially increased, and that is where it gets tricky [and] people become victims.
“Another big category is identity theft – in Massachusetts last year there were 73,000 complaints to the FTC from individuals that they were victims – a big increase from a couple of years ago when complaints numbered 51,000. This type of fraud has implications on credit, tax refunds, and more.”
Q: When it comes to those tech-based frauds, what are today’s top schemes and whom are they targeting?
“Nationwide, 40,000 complaints have bee related to Internet service, and most are virus – related. You can just click on the wrong button in what has been sent to you and you release a virus that’s going to capture your personal information – or it puts a virus in your computer and ‘you have to contact us to release your computer and send us $300.’ If it means the difference between being able to use their computer and not using it, people often just pay.
“AARP’s Fraud Watch Ambassador Frank Abagnale – on whose life the movie ‘Catch Me If You Can’ with Leonardo DiCaprio was based – said the vast majority of people who get victimized by clicking a link are Millennials, not less tech-savvy elders.
“People do seem to be aware of web-based fraud, but when it comes as an email, maybe from someone you know – they have been hacked and don’t know it – and there’s a link to photos of their grandkids, you’re likely going to click and then you’re in a bad area.
“It’s absolutely critical, therefore, that you have anti-virus software in your computer, and there are plenty of them available out there. Just type in Google – or whatever search engine you use – the words ‘anti-virus software’ and you will get links to some very reputable anti-virus software at a reasonable cost.
“That anti-virus software is your most important line of defense against this type of fraud.”
Q: How can consumers of any age best protect themselves from becoming a victim?
“Invest in a lockable mailbox, wherever you live. Don’t leave laptops and smartphones in the car – it’s extremely easy, even with sophisticated antitheft protection, for a pro to break in. Recycling is good, but get a micro shredder to chop up personal information.
“Make sure you have a password on that smartphone or iPhone. Change passwords regularly; there are different techniques you can use to help remember them. Use anti-virus software on all your devices.
“The phone can be a dangerous instrument if you aren’t thinking about what you are doing when you pick it up. If someone is calling you and you don’t know who they are and they get into discussing any personal information, hang up. And don’t trust Caller ID – scammers can manipulate things so the call looks like it’s coming from someone important, like the police department.”
“For more fraud-busting tips, visit the AARP website at AARP.org/fraud.”