Every year, scammers steal millions of dollars from unsuspecting seniors, and according to California Attorney General Rob Bonta, it’s a problem that’s only getting worse.
“It’s important to talk about elder abuse. Sometimes there is stigma, shame, embarrassment. No one should be ashamed,” Bonta said.
Bonta talks about thieves who target older people by scamming them through phone calls or emails.
Winners Real Estate Investment Company is accused of defrauding more than $30 million through its financial program.
It’s a major issue that affects thousands across the state, including Bonta’s own mother, Cynthia.
“She’s loving and trusting. She’s not very tech-savvy either,” Bonta said.
Bonta’s mother was victimized twice and had money stolen from her.
“One was the tech support customer scam and the other was that we have embarrassing photos of you that we will post,” Bonta said.
That’s why state and local law enforcement officials held a press conference at the Dale Senior Center in downtown Riverside to warn seniors about the growing problem.
Some say they’ve already been targeted, like Jaime Beltrán, who says a scammer recently called her saying he was from Amazon.
Opening a letter that arrived in a very formal envelope, a viewer found himself with a job offer and a check, which he found suspicious, and he was correct. Telemundo 52 Responde investigated this scam.
“They tried to get into my credit card accounts, my bank accounts. I was panicked and scared,” Beltrán said.
Debbie Barrozo says she was sent a fake email from Wells Fargo, but she immediately reported it to the company. Unfortunately, she says, many older people are vulnerable.
“A lot of them feel lonely and they think this is a friend, you know, they trust so easily,” Barrozo said.
“Each year, seniors lose nearly $3 billion dollars to fraud and financial schemes,” Bonta said.
The Mesa Police is warning about a new type of scam that is affecting the Hispanic community. Specifically to those people who benefit from spiritual cleansing.
Bonta says there are multiple schemes to be aware of, including phone scams, investment fraud, romance scams, and people pretending to be friends or family in desperate need of money.
“According to the FBI, there were more than 88,000 reported fraud victims over the age of 60 last year,” Bonta said.
And it says that the total financial loss has risen by 84% since 2021.
Law enforcement officials say thieves are often aggressive and try to intimidate older people into giving them personal information. Sometimes they also pretend to be policemen.
Several people went to Telemundo 52 Responde because they allegedly lost thousands of dollars that they allegedly lent. An FBI expert explained how certain types of scams work so you’ll be alert.
“The police will never call or text you in an attempt to get money from you,” said Chief Larry Gonzalez of the Riverside Police Department.
For more information on how you can protect yourself, visit the website of AARP.
This story first appeared on Telemundo 52’s sister station, NBCLA. Click here to read this story in English.
