Latest Consumer Protection Data Spotlight Finds Seniors Sending Thousands in Cash to Scammers Claiming to be their Grandchildren

Older consumers who report losing money to fraud are reporting a disturbing trend: Scammers claiming to be a loved one in trouble are getting people 70 and over to send thousands of dollars in cash.

In the second Consumer Protection Data Spotlight, the Federal Trade Commission examined complaints about family and friend imposter scams. These scammers often call seniors claiming to be a grandchild. The FTC is seeing an increase in the number of people ages 70 and over who say they sent cash in response to this particular scam – one in four said they mailed cash in 2018, compared to one in fourteen the prior year. In about half of these types of complaints, the scammer said they were in jail or some other legal trouble and in need of money to get out of trouble.


All age groups reported losing more money over the last 12 months to family and friend imposter scams – a total of $41 million, compared to $26 million the previous year. The most striking concern is individual losses by older Americans. The median loss for this scam was $2,000, but when seniors ages 70 and over said they put cash in the mail, their median loss was $9,000.

The FTC urges those who might get such a call to not act right away. Instead, the FTC recommends calling the family member or friend using a known number, or checking out the request with someone else in their family or a mutual friend.

The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition, and protect and educate consumers. You can learn more about consumer topics and file a consumer complaint online or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357). 

Contact Information
CONTACT FOR CONSUMERS:
Consumer Response Center
877-382-4357


Related Resources

• Consumer Protection Data Spotlight: New twist to grandparent scam: mail cash

For Consumers

• Blog: Putting cash in the mail
  

Statement of Remington A. Gregg, Counsel for Civil Justice and Consumer Rights

Note: [Hotel chain] Marriott reported today that the private data of upwards of 500 million customers may have been breached. This hack follows other breaches this year at Macy’s Inc., Sears Holdings Corp., Kmart and Best Buy Co., Inc., among others. 

We need a strong federal law that allows individuals who have been harmed by data breaches to hold companies accountable.

Not only are people wondering if their sensitive information has been compromised and is up for sale on the dark web, but the monitoring service, Kroll, that Marriott hired to alert customers if their data was stolen includes a jury waiver and class-action ban in its terms of service. This requires customers who later have claims against the monitoring service to file in Davidson County, Tenn. This attempt to keep customers from joining together if they have claims against the company and forcing them to sue in Tennessee repeats blunders of the Equifax consumer catastrophe. There, too, the monitoring service chosen by Equifax tried to impose restrictions on consumers’ ability to bring claims in the future.

Kroll should immediately revise its terms of service to allow those impacted to sue in convenient locations, should disputes arise, and without restrictions on the ability to join together with similarly situated consumers.

Still, the biggest duty falls on Marriott. As the company moves to mitigate a data breach that speaks to its own failures to properly protect the personal, sensitive data it collects from customers, it must affirmatively guarantee that its already victimized customers are not victimized again by unfair contract terms that limit their right to recovery in the event of misconduct by Kroll.

###

--
Remington A. Gregg | Counsel for Civil Justice and Consumer Rights
Public Citizen 
W: 202.454.5117 | M: 718.619.2152

Demand phone companies put anti-robocall technology to work
Promising technology to help stop unwanted robocalls is being tested now, but we need the FCC to require phone companies to adopt it – and to make sure companies are implementing it at no cost to you.

Add your name to our petition to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to take strong action and require all phone carriers adopt free call-verification technology that will help stop ‘spoofed’ robocalls.


Consumers banding together helped pressure the FCC and phone companies to come together and develop anti-number-spoofing technology.

Last month, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai called on the phone companies to adopt this technology and implement it by the end of 2019.

But we know robocallers are stealthy and adaptable. The longer phone companies wait to get on board -- or if they are not forced to act at all -- the more time spammers have to change tactics. That's why it is critical the FCC require the phone companies adopt this technology ASAP, and to police how it is implemented.
Sign on to our petition, and let the FCC know that you want this promising technology ASAP, at no charge, to help stop robocalls.
Sign the petition
And if you have friends and family who are fed-up with robocalls (no doubt!), please let them know how they can help us ramp up the pressure on the FCC as much as possible.
action.consumerreports.org/...

 We are launching a new “Tell YOUR Story” tool that will enable residents, families, ombudsmen, and those who work with them tell their story about nursing home or assisted living care.

The form is available on our website at https://nursinghome411.org/tell-your-story/.
 
One can fill out the form on the website, download it to fill out on a computer or phone, or print out a hard copy to mail in. All personal identifying information is kept confidential unless the individual provides specific permission otherwise.
 
Stories about resident care can have an enormous impact on advocacy for better care and dignity. We would appreciate any help you can provide in getting the word out and passing this along!
 
Other news from LTCCC…

1. Dementia Care & Antipsychotic Drugging.
   
2. We have just published the latest antipsychotic drugging rates for all U.S. nursing homes and citations for inappropriate drugging. Sadly, recent data indicate that drugging rates are no longer going down! https://nursinghome411.org/learning-center/dementia-care-antipsychotic-drugging/  [Please note that some facilities with a low resident population are not included in these data.]
   
3. Safe Staffing.
   
4. We recently published the staffing levels for all U.S. nursing homes in easy-to-use files. Staffing is critical to quality, yet too many nursing homes have insufficient staffing. For the first time, these files include city and county information, to make searching for your nursing home, or those in your community, even easier. https://nursinghome411.org/nursing-home-data-information/staffing/
   
5. Resident & Family Councils.
   
6. We have issued a new Issue Alert on family and resident council rights, https://nursinghome411.org/ltccc-issue-alert-resident-family-councils/ and have launched our new Family & Ombudsman Resource Center, https://nursinghome411.org/families-ombudsmen/.
   
7. Webinars on Quality of Care & Resident-Centered Advocacy.
   
8. Please join us for our next free “lunch-and-learn” program on November 20 at 1pm Eastern. Topic: Making Your Voice Heard in the Nursing Home… and Beyond. https://nursinghome411.org/upcoming-webinars-nursing-home-care-resident-centered-advocacy/
   
9. New Report on Assisted Living: Promising Policies and Practices. https://nursinghome411.org/ltccc-report-assisted-living-promising-policies-and-practices/
   

All of these resources are free to use and share. If you would like to sign up for future updates and alerts, please email [email protected].
 
Sincerely yours, Richard
 
Richard J. Mollot, Executive Director
The Long Term Care Community Coalition
One Penn Plaza, Suite 6252
New York, NY 10119
Phone: 212-385-0355
www.nursinghome411.org