The Great Reconnection: When Scammers Come Calling

Scammers are getting craftier, and it's up to us to stay ahead. In this episode, we interview a local older adult who fell victim to a scam by a fake residential repair contractor. Hear her recount her experience and learn how AgeGuide’s funded partners and other community helpers stepped in to help. Plus, get essential tips to protect yourself from fraud.

If you think you have been a victim of a scam, visit our website for more information: https://ageguide.org/fraud-assistance/

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SPEAKER_01 0:01

Hello, and welcome to The Age Guide, Perspectives on the Aging Journey. We are here to be your personal guide and enhance your quality of life on the road ahead. Welcome to another episode of Age Guide's special podcast series celebrating our 50th anniversary. We're thrilled to have you join us for this milestone year. Our theme, The Great Reconnection, highlights the importance of social connections for older adults, fostering a sense of community and belonging. Scammers are getting craftier, and it's up to us to stay ahead. In this episode, we share a real-life story of a local senior who fell victim to a fake residential repair contractor. Listen in as she recounts her experience, how Age Guide's funded partners and community helpers stepped in, and discover tips to protect yourself from fraud. Let's listen in.

SPEAKER_04 1:04

We are here today with someone who has been through a difficult experience with a scam. And she has agreed to meet with us today in her lovely home to talk about what that experience was like. So how about if we start with you sharing a little bit about yourself and your background before the scam

SPEAKER_03 1:25

story. I'm a senior, obviously, and my husband... Did a lot of the work around the house. But he passed away. Just recently, right? A couple years ago? August of 2022, I always have to think of the year. And I was determined I was going to continue to do stuff myself. And then I realized I'm not capable of everything. And that's how I got taken, because I was trusting people.

SPEAKER_04 1:54

And so you live in your own home, and you live in an unincorporated area, and you've got a lot of property around your house, and you have a large home, a lot to take care of. Yes. So how did you first come into contact with the home repair company that scammed you? I was outside

SPEAKER_03 2:11

pulling weeds down this long 200-foot driveway, and an SUV pulled in, and... two very nice young men said, gee, it looks like you need some seal coating done. And I said, no, I didn't think I really was ready to do seal coating. And I says, but if you know someone, I could use a handyman. And they said, what do you need done? And I said, well, I have a room that I need insulation and drywall put up in the ceiling. Well, let us take a look. And that's where it snowballed from there.

SPEAKER_04 2:49

Okay. They just found

SPEAKER_03 2:50

you and

SPEAKER_04 2:51

just pulled up to your yard while you were working in your yard. Yes, they did. They get pretty crafty. You

SPEAKER_03 2:58

know, I had someone, I couldn't understand why because they really couldn't see me from the street, but what made them pull in here? And I have a sister-in-law who had an answer for it. And she says, well, you know, sal's obituary and i said no no no we did not put his obituary in the paper he said do not ever do that

SPEAKER_04 3:18

okay people

SPEAKER_03 3:19

check people

SPEAKER_04 3:20

would

SPEAKER_03 3:21

pray on you but it's still on the obituary site through the funeral parlor. Oh, right. And she said she heard of people every day go in and look them up, and they wait a little while, and then they approach the people.

SPEAKER_04 3:36

Wow. That's pretty sophisticated, and that is true. People will do that kind of thing when you're down, any time that they have an angle that they can get in. Oh, yeah. So did you let them come in and take a look at

SPEAKER_03 3:48

the room? Oh, they looked at it, and they were like, oh, we can do this. And that's where it all started.

SPEAKER_04 3:54

Okay. Oh, wow. So at what point did you realize that something was wrong? I

SPEAKER_03 4:04

gave them the money, which I should never have done, ahead of time to go and buy the supplies and everything. When I realized this was a total scam, they called me. And he said, you know, we have a problem. The concrete company... Because it's summer, they're doing all the work in Chicago, so they cannot come out. I can't get the concrete until the end of September or October. And I said, well, then let's just forget about it. You know, give me my check back for the concrete. Yeah. Now, they still hadn't finished the room or anything either, by the way. Yeah. Because there was an excuse for that. Were they

SPEAKER_04 4:44

doing a little work here? Were they coming regularly? Were you seeing them at all?

SPEAKER_03 4:49

You know, yes, I would see them, but they didn't do the work.

SPEAKER_04 4:52

Okay. So they were really trying to ingratiate themselves and be really nice and kind and befriend you. And that's really seems like a good thing when you're newly widowed and you're trying to figure things out and you meet some new friends who can be really helpful. And it's really easy to...

SPEAKER_03 5:11

Yeah, you know, in your determined to be able to do things and have things done. You want to be able to take care of your house yourself. Yeah, exactly. Sure. When I realized this was a total scam, when he was telling me about the concrete work, I said, well, give me the money back. And he goes, well, I already gave it to the concrete company. I'm thinking. He said, but if you can give me another check... I can have it delivered sooner. And that's when I was like, uh-oh. That doesn't sound right. Yeah. So

SPEAKER_04 5:49

then what did you do? I called senior services. And you asked them for help? I did. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 5:57

I was so angry. Oh, I bet. The man who runs the program from Milton Township, it's a SALT program. The SALT program. And it's wonderful. He came over and he took... whole history he was okay down and then he called a deputy um county deputy to come over

SPEAKER_04 6:21

sheriff

SPEAKER_03 6:21

because i'm unincorporated i'm not

SPEAKER_04 6:24

right right so the sheriff

SPEAKER_03 6:26

covers this area so one came over and then he i had to repeat it over again tell your story everything down okay um Then another police officer came, and I'm glad for her. She took a walk around my property.

SPEAKER_02 6:42

She

SPEAKER_03 6:43

said, as a woman, she knew what to look for. Oh, okay. And I'm like, okay. And she said, well, I'm a sheriff's deputy, and I do carry a gun. But I'm still vulnerable.

SPEAKER_04 6:57

Right, we

SPEAKER_03 6:57

all are. As a woman. And I think, wow, I never thought of it that way. So she looked around to see what I should be doing. Like, I'm supposed to be putting in a ring doorbell.

SPEAKER_04 7:07

Okay, yeah. I just haven't done it

SPEAKER_03 7:08

yet.

SPEAKER_04 7:08

Okay. That's a good idea. Other safety features that you could do. Right, because I'm so far back. Right. Yeah, and you're living here alone. So you've got some ideas of things that you can do to improve the safety of your home.

SPEAKER_03 7:21

And that was helpful. So she did that, and... I'm trying to think. The deputy that was assigned to my case.

SPEAKER_04 7:29

So you had a phone number for these people, right? Because you were talking to

SPEAKER_03 7:32

them on the phone. Okay. And I turned it and any emails I had gotten or messages from them, I turned that all over to the state's attorney's

SPEAKER_04 7:40

office. Okay. And were they able to get your money back for you

SPEAKER_03 7:44

or do anything for you? Not yet. You're still in process. There's an arrest warrant out for the two men.

SPEAKER_04 7:49

Okay. And this is the first time they've

SPEAKER_03 7:51

done this. Wow.

SPEAKER_04 7:53

So they've been scamming people all over.

SPEAKER_03 7:55

Yeah. Yeah. You know, I guess, well, as I said, this is not going to make me not trust people. I can't be like that.

SPEAKER_04 8:04

Good.

SPEAKER_03 8:05

but it's sad that people have to stoop to this.

SPEAKER_04 8:08

Right. Yeah. That's unfortunate that there's these people out there that would take advantage of someone and it can happen to anyone no matter what age you are. But I think it's harder when we get to retirement and we're on a fixed income and you know, you're trying to live independently as long as you can off of the resources that you have. So it becomes more of a challenge if you get involved with a scam like this. So that's why it's so hard. Um, What have been some of the biggest challenges that you faced in dealing with the fact that this situation happened?

SPEAKER_03 8:44

Well, first I was very embarrassed.

SPEAKER_04 8:47

Yeah, there's like an emotional

SPEAKER_03 8:49

side to it, right? I was like, oh, people are going to think I'm so stupid. I just never... Dealing with these two people, they're good. Right. They're very good at what they do. These are con artists, yes. And what bothered me the most was about religion. They're smart. And the one guy, I was sitting on the front porch when they were going back and forth. Right. And I was sitting there reading my Bible because I... I'm very religious.

SPEAKER_04 9:26

Okay. And they saw that? They

SPEAKER_03 9:28

did. So

SPEAKER_04 9:28

they took that angle and

SPEAKER_03 9:30

I bet they used that against you, didn't they? They said, oh, are you a Christian? I said, yes, I am. So they had a whole story to go

SPEAKER_04 9:37

with

SPEAKER_03 9:38

it. And then the one start, he actually quoted scripture.

SPEAKER_04 9:42

Right. He knows that that's a way to get at people. These scam artists are so good at the things that they can do. And yeah, you can't beat yourself up about that. You know what? I find

SPEAKER_03 9:54

myself... I do volunteer work, as

SPEAKER_02 9:58

I said.

SPEAKER_03 9:58

I'll talk about it if somebody...

SPEAKER_04 10:02

Good. So you can share your story to

SPEAKER_03 10:05

help other people. And I've had a few women who were like, oh my gosh, I live by myself. And they're all like...

SPEAKER_04 10:14

This could easily happen to any of us. Yes. Even younger people who don't live by themselves get taken for scams. I mean, it happens to everybody. Yes, they do. Yes. But like I said, it's harder when you're retired and you're living by yourself. Oh, it's really, yeah. Yeah. The results can be damaging.

SPEAKER_03 10:33

You feel so vulnerable. Yeah. Yeah. like I said I was a little frustrated but I was scared because they knew where I lived

SPEAKER_04 10:45

there's that angle of it too and you don't know what else they're capable of if they're capable of taking your money what else are they capable of but luckily you've got the sheriff watching out for you you've got some things you're going to do to improve the safety of your house so what kind of advice would you give to other people you said you share your story with others and I think that's so impactful when you can tell other people what happened right and It's helpful for you to process through it, but it's also helpful for the other person. It is. What do you tell them?

SPEAKER_03 11:14

Well, actually, I've told one lady who had somebody come to her door.

SPEAKER_04 11:17

Okay, she had a similar approach happen?

SPEAKER_03 11:21

But she lived in Wheaton. Okay. I don't know if it's the same people. I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 11:26

Yeah, who knows? But

SPEAKER_03 11:28

she said she was going to put outside surveillance.

SPEAKER_04 11:32

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 11:32

Because she was... a lot older than me, and she didn't have any family.

SPEAKER_04 11:37

Okay. So she was going to take that. Okay, so you gave some suggestions for how she could save... And I told

SPEAKER_03 11:44

her,

SPEAKER_04 11:44

you know,

SPEAKER_03 11:44

don't stop trusting people.

SPEAKER_04 11:47

You still have to be able to depend on your community. You have to be able to have other people help with things. You just have to be safe about it. And now you know that there's some questions you can ask, right? You know not to write a big check up up front. And you know that you can always run things by either the Milton Township SALT folks or senior services associates or the sheriff or police department. So that's good advice for people, too. Just check it out first, right? You've got people who are depending on you and waiting for you. And you've got people you can talk to about these things, too. If somebody comes to your driveway again, you could say, hey, what do you think of this? Somebody showed up today. They're offering to do X, Y, Z. It's helpful to have those people

SPEAKER_03 12:32

in your life. And I heard of a story from someone I've known since I started volunteering. We volunteer together on Fridays.

SPEAKER_02 12:40

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 12:41

And she goes, oh, my gosh. She had somebody come to her house after a bad storm. Yeah. And they left a brochure. Right. And she was looking. she realized the pictures they said they took weren't her roof.

SPEAKER_04 12:58

Oh, it wasn't even her house. Wow. Yeah, because there are people who do that. After a storm, they'll come out and legitimately work with your insurance and do some home repairs. But you just don't know if you take the first person who comes to your door. You really have to check them out and do your research. There's legitimate businesses that do drive around and look for opportunities, and the market is tight right now, and people are having trouble finding jobs, so they're going around looking but there are those scammers out there too and we have a lot of funded partners that we support at age guide around our eight county region then they can help with these kind of situations too or direct you to the right places so i think some older adults might feel more comfortable calling up a social service type agency and asking for help and some people are afraid should i call is this something worthy of calling the police to check on or it's always fine to call age guide or to call one of our funded partners like you said senior service associates was your first stop and i think that's a comfortable spot for people to go

SPEAKER_03 13:58

i'll tell you why i thought of that though um before i got married i was living in bloomingdale township and i worked for the township okay And I worked for, I was assistant director of the Bloomingdale Township Senior Citizens. Oh, okay. And all of a sudden, I'm one of them. What do you know? I would have told my seniors, no, no, don't fall for this, don't fall for that. And maybe that's why I was a little embarrassed. And I didn't think of it until just now. Yes. I used to advise them what to do and not to do. And he... I didn't have anybody to advise me. That's right, and that's why you need to have those connections. You

SPEAKER_04 14:43

forgot to take care of yourself, and you need to reach out to others, and it's okay to ask other people what they think of a situation. So good for you. You're continuing to learn from this all the time, and I'm so sorry that this happened, and I really hope that it gets resolved for you. But thank you so much for sharing your story.

SPEAKER_02 15:00

You're welcome.

SPEAKER_01 15:01

Thank you so much for listening. Before we go, we have a quick word from Age Guide featuring the Medicare Minute. Hello and welcome to your Medicare Minute. We are here with Val Guzman, our benefit access specialist here at Age Guide.

SPEAKER_00 15:17

Medicare fraud and scams are a huge issue where over $60 billion is lost every year. It's important to treat your Medicare number in the same way that you would your social security number or credit cards. You should only share your Medicare number with your doctor and never over the phone. Check your Medicare statements and look out for any claims that you don't recognize or that you suspect could be wrong. And when you do suspect something wrong, make sure you report it right away. You can report potential Medicare fraud to the Senior Medicare Patrol program. For more information about the SMP program, you can visit our fraud assistance page on ageguide.org, or you can call Age Guide at 800-528-7000. Thank

SPEAKER_01 16:12

you for listening to The Age Guide, Perspectives on the Aging Journey. We hope you learned something new on this podcast because we all have a stake in promoting a high quality of life for people on their aging journey. Age Guide coordinates and administers many services for older adults in Northeastern Illinois. We serve DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will Counties. We also serve Our specially trained professionals are available to answer questions and connect you with local service providers and resources. If you are interested in these services or want to learn more, go to our website at hguide.org. Call our offices at 630-293-5990. Please follow our podcast so when we post our monthly podcast, you are notified on your streaming account. Thank you, and we will see you next time On the Age Guide, perspectives on the aging journey.