Scammers see 'bull's-eyes' on seniors, state official warns

SANDY — A night after handing out Halloween treats to mask-wearing children, a group of Utah seniors Saturday were warned to beware of two-faced adults looking to trick them.

Seniors are a major target for fraud, scams and identity theft, Leigh Davis-Schmidt, director of compliance for the Division of Securities in the Utah Department of Commerce, told a group gathered for an event organized by AARP.

"You're a target," Davis-Schmidt told about 350 people at the South Towne Expo Center. "Look at your neighbor to your right and your left or across the aisle. You see that big, red bull's-eye on them? Guess what — you have one, too. All of you have a big, red bull's-eye on you. It's unfortunate, but that's the case."

Seniors are 15 percent of the U.S. population but account for 30 percent of fraud victims, she said. But Davis-Schmidt suspects that figure might be low because seniors typically don't like to report being scammed. One reason is embarrassment; another is financial.

"You want to maintain your financial independence," she said, "and if you admit that you made a mistake, then maybe you're admitting to your family members that you can't control your assets, that you can't remain financially independent.

"And I say, report it, report it, report it. Please report it. There is no reason you should be embarrassed — absolutely none. You know why?

It's not your fault. You trusted someone. But it's that person's fault because they used your trust and they stole from you. It's not your fault. It's their fault. They're in the wrong, and they should pay for it."

Seniors are prime targets because they have lifetime savings, equity in their homes, great credit, and pension and retirement accounts; they are usually at home; and they are "so darn nice" — unwilling to hang up a phone or shut a door on complete strangers, Davis-Schmidt said.

Several seniors at Saturday's event told of getting fraudulent e-mail pitches or folks trying to get their Social Security numbers. But seniors can be armed with strategies to combat scams, Davis-Schmidt said.

They include telling the securities division about possible scams and using the division to check out whether a potential scammer is licensed or has a troublesome record; monitoring investments to check for trouble; asking lots of questions from the people making the pitches; and withstanding the pressure to make a rushed decision. "Trust but verify" was her main message. "They're going to lie, but you're going to find that the more questions you ask, the more likely that you're going to pick up on the inconsistencies, the more likely that you're going to uncover that it's fraud," Davis-Schmidt said. "The more questions you ask, the more information you're going to have to base your decision on. And if you don't like how they respond, walk away."

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