SAFETY TIPS FOR SENIOR CITIZENS

Con Artists
"Con artists" are smooth-talking criminals who try to separate you from your money through trickery and deceit. They can be men or women who work alone, in pairs, or in groups. They may stop you on the street, call on the phone, or ring your doorbell pretending to be repair people, building inspectors, bank examiners or any other service person. There are many different kinds of confidence games.

Ask yourself the "SCAM" questions below. If your answers are yes, PROCEED WITH CAUTION.

S: "STRANGER"
Are you unfamiliar with the person or company?

C: "CONTACT"
Did they make the first contact instead of you?
(For example, by a door to door salesperson, unsolicited mail or telephone call, or at a "chance" meeting.

A: "ACT NOW"
"Urgent!" "Today Only!" "Last Chance!" Sound Familiar?

M: "MONEY UP FRONT"

• Be suspicious of friendly strangers who offer goods or services at low rates.
• Beware of friendly strangers who tell you they have found money and want to share it with you.
• Don't fall for anything that sounds too good to be true - a free vacation, sweepstakes prizes, cures for cancer and arthritis, a low-risk, high-yield investment scheme.
• Don't buy health products or treatments that include: a promise for a quick and dramatic cure, testimonials, imprecise and non-medical language, appeals to emotion instead of reason, or a single product that cures many ills.
• Look closely at offers that come in the mail. Con artists often use official-looking forms and bold graphics to lure victims. If you receive items in the mail that you didn't order, you are under no obligation to pay for them - throw them out, return them, or keep them.
• Be suspicious of ads that promise quick cash working from your home. After you've paid for the supplies or a how-to book to get started, you often find there's no market for the product and there's no way to get your money back.
• Use common sense in dealing with auto repairs. Get a written estimate, read it carefully, and never give the repair shop a blank check to "fix everything."
• Beware of cheap home repair work that would otherwise be expensive, regardless of the reason given. The con artist may just do part of the work, use shoddy materials and untrained workers, or simply take your deposit and never return.
• Never withdraw money from your bank accounts for anyone except YOURSELF.
• Be alert to schemes that involve removing your savings or other valuables from safekeeping and turning them over to somebody else.
• Never give your credit card, phone card, Social Security, or bank account number to anyone over the phone. It's illegal for telemarketers to ask for these numbers to verify a prize or gift.
• Don't let anyone rush you into signing anything - an insurance policy, a sales agreement, a contract. Read it carefully and have someone you trust check it over.
• Beware of individuals claiming to represent companies, consumer organizations, or government agencies that offer to recover lost money from fraudulent telemarketers for a fee.

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Some Classic Cons:
Although con artists come up with new scams as times change, some classic scams never go out of style.

• The Bank Examiner: Someone posing as a bank official or government agent asks for your help (in person or via the telephone) to catch a dishonest teller. You are to withdraw money from your account and turn it over to him or her so the serial numbers can be checked or the money marked. You do, and never see your money again.
  
  
• The Pigeon Drop: A couple of strangers tell you they've found a large sum of money or other valuables. They say they'll split their good fortune with you if everyone involved will put up some "good faith" money. You turn over your cash, and you never see your money or the strangers again.
  
  
• The Pyramid Scheme: Someone offers you a chance to invest in an up-and-coming company with a guaranteed high return. The idea is that you invest and ask others to do the same. You get a share of each investment you recruit. They recruit others, and so on. When the pyramid collapses (either the pool of new investors dries up or the swindler is caught), everyone loses - except the person at the top.

*Con artists count on their victim's reluctance to admit they've been duped, but if you delay you help them get away. If you never report the crime, they are free to cheat others and you have no chance of ever getting your money back.

If you're suspicious, or if you have been swindled or conned, do not hesitate to contact:

• San Diego Police (619-531-3000)
  
• Better Business Bureau (858-496-2131)
  
• National Consumers League Fraud Information Center (800-876-7060)

Protect Yourself From Telemarketing Fraud
Your best protection is to just hang up the phone. If you think that is rude, tell these callers politely that you are not interested, don't want to waste their time, and please don't call back - and then hang up. If you find yourself caught up in a sales pitch, remember the federal government's Telemarketing Sales Rule.

• You have to be told the name of the company, the fact that it is a sales call, and what's being sold. If a prize is being offered, you have to be told immediately that there is no purchase necessary to win.
• If the caller says you've won a prize, you cannot be asked to pay anything for it. You can't even be required to pay shipping charges. If it is a sweepstakes, the caller must tell you how to enter without making a purchase.
• Be suspicious of telephone calls from someone claiming to be a bank official asking you to withdraw money from your account for any reason. Banks communicate business transactions in writing.
• You cannot be asked to pay in advance for services such as cleansing your credit record, finding you a loan, acquiring a prize they say you've won. You pay for services only if they're actually delivered.
• You shouldn't be called before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. If you tell telemarketers not to call again, they can't. If they do, they have broken the law.
• If you're guaranteed a refund, the caller has to tell you all the limitations.
  

And remember, don't give telemarketers your credit card number, your bank account number, Social Security number - or authorize bank drafts - ever.

*If you suspect fraud, call the National Fraud Information Center at 800-876-7060.

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