|
Elder Abuse/ Financial Exploitation.
The MBA is pleased to offer this resource page in continued support of preventing crimes against the elderly and disadvantaged. Michigan banks are committed to protecting their elderly clients. This resource page is designed to share knowledge on elder abuse; be sure to check the Downloads frequently for recent information on Elder Abuse/ Financial Exploitation. The content will change regularly so please visit often.
Feature News:
FBI Alert: House Stealing - The Latest Scam on the Block
What do you get when you combine two popular rackets these days-identity theft and mortgage fraud? A totally new kind of crime:
house stealing.
Click here to see the complete article.
AARP has produced a brochure titled: "Get Your Economic Stimulus Payment Safely and Securely," that includes tips for seniors to avoid being victims of a scam under pretense of issues with the payment.
Click here to see the brochure.
BITS Fraud Protection Toolkit
Click here to learn how to protect the elderly and vulnerable from financial fraud and explotation.
The United States Postal Inspection Service Fights Fraud against the Elderly
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) is committed to protecting seniors from telemarketing and mail fraud schemes.
The agency has several resources designed to educate and inform consumers about mail fraud, including fraud against older
Americans. Click here to access these materials.
USPIS has also introduced a new website that provides information about the ways consumers can avoid falling victim to scams involving
counterfeit checks, click here for more information.
Medicare Scam Reported
The Michigan Medicare/Medicaid Assistance Program (MMAP, Inc.) is issuing a warning to Michigan residents with Medicare health coverage.
Medicare beneficiaries in the Detroit, Grand Rapids and the Manistee areas have received calls from someone stating they were from Medicare
For the full article, click here.
IRS Warns of New E-Mail and Telephone Scams Using the IRS Name; Advance
Payment Scams Starting
WASHINGTON - The Internal Revenue Service today warned taxpayers to
beware of several current e-mail and telephone scams that use the IRS
name as a lure. The IRS expects such scams to continue through the end
of tax return filing season and beyond.
For the full article, click here.
Don’t be Fooled by Bogus Phone Calls, State Court Administrative
Office Warns; Scammers Pose as Court Officials, Seek Information
It may sound legitimate: a phone call from a court official
about jury service, threatening legal action and asking for Social Security numbers, credit card
numbers, or other confidential information.
But it’s only a scam that could lead to identity theft and fraud, warns the State Court
Administrative Office (SCAO), the administrative agency of the Michigan Supreme Court. Click here for the whole story.
IRS Warns of New E-mail Scam Offering Cash for Participation in
“Member Satisfaction Survey”
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today issued a consumer alert regarding a new,
two-step e-mail scam that falsely promises recipients they will receive $80 for participating
in an online customer satisfaction survey.
In the scam, an unsuspecting taxpayer receives an
unsolicited e-mail that appears to come from the IRS. The e-mail contains a URL linking to an
online “Member Satisfaction Survey.”
“We have seen many e-mail scams using the IRS name,”
IRS Deputy Commissioner for Operations Support Linda Stiff said. “The IRS does not initiate
contact with taxpayers through e-mail. Taxpayers should always use caution when they receive
unsolicited e-mails.”
In this case, the e-mail notifies the recipient that he or she has been
randomly selected to participate in a survey. In return, the IRS will credit $80 to the
taxpayer’s account. There are references to the IRS in the “from” line and the “subject”
line of the e-mail. The link to the survey and a copyright statement at the bottom of the
e-mail also reference the IRS. The survey form features the IRS logo.
In addition to standard
customer satisfaction survey questions, the survey requests the name and phone number of the
participant and also asks for credit card information. Once the fraudsters have a name and
phone number, they will presumably call the participant and attempt to retrieve other
financial information.
The apparent objectives of this scam are to use the participant’s name
and financial data to withdraw funds from the taxpayer’s bank account, run up charges on a
credit card or take out loans in the taxpayer’s name.
|
