Local and federal authorities alerted the community to an increase in robberies of the elderly.
FBI special agent Fernando Uribe warned that this year has represented an 84% increase in scams against the elderly through various modalities, which translates into more than $3 billion annually in losses.
“They (fraudsters) take advantage of all possible mechanisms to reach older people, because they may be isolated or alone, physically limited, higher possibility of not being a good witness, overly educated or trusting and less likely to report or know how. do it,” he explained.
Agent Uribe assured that there are numerous types of financial scams such as mass mailings and traditional calls, among others.
That’s why law enforcement agencies at the DMV have web pages available to report fraud schemes. Click on the links below to access them:
Federal agencies also have websites available:
There is also a national hotline for seniors who are victims of fraud that you can contact by dialing 833-372-8311 or by visiting the Web page.
It is also recommended to make the report with the local police and remember to report the crime of fraud and not the civil matters that are later disputed in court and in which the police have no field of action.
“The difference between criminal cases and civil cases is that civil cases generally involve a dispute between people or with an organization and criminal cases are a violation of a law, a violation of a status that is already stipulated by law.” , concluded Sergio Andrade, a detective with the Fairfax Police.
