Jessie Schmidt of the Better Business Bureau in Sioux Falls says seniors are targets for scammers!

"Seniors are often home during the day when some of us are out working. They still have a land line and pick up the telephone when somebody calls them. They are trusting by their nature."

Schmidt says seniors are receiving phone calls right now from scammers who are pretending to be IRS agents wanting money.

"Those calls just seem to be getting more and more threatening. The scammers tell the potential victims someone from the IRS is on their way and you need to get this money pack card and they will stay on the phone. Please know that this is not how the IRS operates. This is the biggest phone scam the IRS has ever seen and has already netted over five million dollars after hitting all 50 states and Canada."

Aside from the IRS Scam, Schmidt says seniors should be aware of the Grandchild Scam.

"A scammer will place a call to a senior citizen and when the mark picks up, the fraudster will say something like : 'Hi Grandma. Do you know who this is?' When the unsuspecting grandparent guesses the name of a grandchild the scammer most sounds like, he has now established a false identity. It is them when  they ask for money and unfortunately, get it most of the time."

If you want to know more about seniors scams and how to respond to them, Jessie Schmidt encourages you to call the Better Business Bureau at 605 271-2066.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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