Seniors
March, 2007
Senior News from March, 2007
Beware the Philadelphia Bank Scam
In Philadelphia, senior citizens are being warned of a credit card scam that has already bilked at least four people out of tens of thousands of dollars. Apparently, criminals are posing as bank employees and conning susceptible seniors into handing over their credit cards for “testing.” In one such instance, a Philly senior received a call from someone who claimed to be from her bank and asked the senior citizen to submit her credit card to a lab for fingerprint testing. While the senior citizen was still on the phone with the con artist, someone else rang the doorbell. On the phone, the con artist instructed the senior citizen to hand over her credit card to the “bank representative” at her door. When she did, the con artist charged her card to the tune of $30,000.
This latest scam is a cruel reminder that seniors must be vigilant in the face of credit card and other scams. Keep in mind that a bank will never send anyone to your home to retrieve your ATM or credit card. Similarly, do not give out your personal information unless you initiate the transaction. And, if someone calls you and asks for private information, just hang up. Remember, it’s not rude, it’s shrewd.
