Sponsored

Pat and Grace 1 Birmingham FBI agent reveals 6 common scams that may be targeting your parents + grandparents — Learn to recognize fraud before it happens to you or your loved ones. (Nathan Watson / Bham Now)

As a young person with older parents living in Birmingham, it’s natural to feel concerned about the possibility of scammers targeting them.

To learn more about elder fraud in the Birmingham area, we attended the annual Fraud Summit hosted by United Way’s Area Agency on Aging (AAA) informing local seniors about common scams to watch out for and how to protect themselves. Here’s what we found.

Meet Birmingham FBI agent Matt Tootle

fbi Birmingham FBI agent reveals 6 common scams that may be targeting your parents + grandparents — FBI agent Matt Tootle at United Way AAA’s 2024 Fraud Summit. (Grace Howard / Bham Now)

One of the many local expert speakers at the AAA Fraud Summit was Matt Tootle, a Birmingham FBI agent that specializes in fraud and financial crime.

According to Agent Tootle, elder fraud specifically is on the rise in Alabama. Just last month, five individuals were charged in an elder fraud scheme totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars right here in Alabama.

“They’ve adapted, they’ve changed and they’ve advanced. All of these scammers create a sense of urgency—’you have to act now, or else.’

They tell you you’re gonna lose prize winnings, or your computer is going to crash or you’ll lose all of your money.”
Matt Tootle, FBI Supervisory Special Agent in the Birmingham division

Common scams targeting seniors in Alabama

Unfortunately, many seniors don’t report scams to law enforcement because they feel ashamed, embarrassed or blame themselves. Others are fearful of retaliation from scammers who threaten them to keep things secret.

Here are six of the most common scams targeting older adults in Alabama, according to Agent Tootle:

detective 1 Birmingham FBI agent reveals 6 common scams that may be targeting your parents + grandparents — Detectives form the Hoover Police Department talk romance scams and staying safe in Hoover. (Grace Howard / Bham Now)

Lottery + sweepstakes scams: The target will receive a call, email or even something in the mail telling them that they’ve won a significant sum of cash. However, to receive your prize they will have to pay a fee, wire money or transfer bitcoin.
Tech support scams: Many have experienced pop-ups claiming their computer’s been hacked or texts about leaked passwords. Clicking these can lead to viruses or identity theft.
Romance scams: The victim enters a relationship, usually online, with a scammer assuming a false identity in order to exploit them for money.
Grandparent scams: Involves the scammer impersonating a family member in some sort of distress. They’ve been in a car accident or got arrested, and they need you to send money right away.
Home improvement scams: Occurs when a contractor (or a scammer posing as one) solicits money from a homeowner in exchange for a renovation that often goes unfinished, is botched or never even happens.
Government impersonation scams: Imposter scammers use calls, texts, or emails posing as government representatives to trick people into giving money or personal details for identity theft.

Top tips for recognizing + avoiding scams

police edited Birmingham FBI agent reveals 6 common scams that may be targeting your parents + grandparents — Scammers may pretend to be Birmingham police or other government agencies. (Bham Now)

So, what can you do to make sure your parent or older relative doesn’t fall for a fraud scheme? There are a few key things to discuss with your loved ones to ensure their safety.

Secure social media accounts. With access to personal details like grandchildren’s names or addresses, scammers are better equipped to impersonate family members or intimidate the victim. Make sure your family’s social media accounts are set to private or friends only.

Make sure they know that nothing is so urgent that they can’t ask for a second opinion. When urgency and anxiety go up, critical thinking goes down. Reassure your family that if they receive alarming calls, texts or emails, they should always inform someone before taking any action.

When in doubt, call the police. Communicate to your family that if they feel threatened and you’re unavailable to help, they should reach out to local law enforcement for assistance.