Savvy Broadview Residents Learn a Thing or Two about Internet Scammers

Anne Fox, a CPA who does volunteer tax preparation for the American Association of Retired Persons, was among the Broadview residents who attended a recent presentation by the Pace Women’s Justice Center on how to avoid scams. The program on April 9 was billed as a primer on how to spot tax scams during tax season, but it covered much, much more. 

“I think this is an ideal presentation for a senior community that’s kind of different from Broadview,’’ said Fox. “I think that people who live at Broadview are incredibly sophisticated.’’ 

Roberta S. Goodman, Esq., Senior Staff Attorney for the Elder Justice Unit at PWJC, who was one of the presenters, said that’s a trap that many older adults fall into. Because scams play on emotions, intelligence, and education aren’t always a foolproof defense.

“Scammers these days are very sophisticated,’ she said. “What I do is to try to make people aware of how scams are perpetrated. What is the triggering emotion when you’re presented with a scam? How to pause and change your reaction time, and how to verify the information so you can determine if it’s legitimate or not.’’

Goldman said fraudsters will often use panic to throw their victims off balance and get them to react immediately. As an example, Goldman gave a recent personal experience. 

“Last week I received a text message purportedly from the City of New York telling me I had to appear in criminal court the next day to respond to a parking violation or my license was going to be suspended. Of course, I gasped,’’ she said. 

Goldman said she followed some simple steps that she has counseled clients on. Don’t click on the link. Take a screenshot of the text. Delete the text. Examine the screenshot to try to determine whether it’s real. 

“When I enlarged it, I saw that even though it had a New York City number, it had a Texas insignia and some other gobbledygook. “And so, I paused. I didn’t click on the link or call the number.’’

Other scams are more complex and designed to play a long game. The most insidious of these are the romantic cons. These types of communications can go on for weeks and months, with the scammer working to build the victim’s confidence. 

“We have had a large number of clients like these. Maybe they are older, or maybe they’ve been single and isolated for a while, and they welcome a new friendship, but the friendship becomes nefarious with ulterior motives. It’s just heartbreaking. “

Goldman said it is almost impossible to recoup lost money, but she urged anyone who is the victim of a scam to contact the AARP Fraud Watch Network at 877-908-3360 to report it. 

“I’ve learned from FBI agents that reporting is critical because when they gather information, they can detect patterns that can help to protect people in the future,’’ she said. 

Broadview resident Linda Nicholson said she appreciated the program. 

“You can always learn something new,” she said. 

The Pace Women’s Justice Center is a nonprofit legal center at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law dedicated to providing free legal services to victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and elder abuse in Westchester and Putnam Counties. Each year, PWJC helps thousands of individuals seek justice and safety through legal advocacy, education, and community outreach. For more information visit https://law.pace.edu/wjc.