Continue to be wary of scams, especially those targeting seniors

Con artists come in many forms today. Sometimes they pretend to be grandchildren in need. Other times they claim to be collecting donations for victims of a fire or other tragedy. As we have seen again recently, they also pose as officials with the IRS or another government agency.

Unfortunately, their tactics work all too often, and unwitting residents fall victim to the scams.

A Powell woman who was swindled out of $3,000 last week became a recent victim.

Using a technique called spoofing, scammers made it look like their call was coming from the Powell Police Department’s phone number — 307-754-2212. In reality, the caller was likely thousands of miles from Powell.

The scammers, who claimed to be IRS representatives, told the woman she owed around $5,000 in belated taxes and was going to be arrested.

In the end, she gave them $3,000 in iTunes gift cards before going to the Park County Clerk of District Court Office in Cody, where she learned the disheartening truth. It was all a scam.

We’re saddened for the local victim as well as the many others who fall prey to scammers.

More than 5,000 Americans have been victims of IRS impersonation scams since October 2013 — paying a collective $26.5 million to scammers. This year alone, the IRS has seen a 400 percent increase in email phishing schemes, according to the agency.

It’s frustrating how often vulnerable senior citizens are targeted. Scammers seek to exploit older Americans who are trusting and polite, making it hard for them to say no or hang up the phone.

“They’re very threatening and they keep you on the phone and they eventually wear you down,” Powell Police Chief Roy Eckerdt said.

When elderly residents are conned out of money, they may not even report the crime, because they’re ashamed they were scammed. Victims also may worry their relatives could think they no longer have the mental capacity to take care of their own financial affairs, according to the FBI.

If you have been targeted by a scam, be sure to call the police and your bank or credit card company. Cases of fraud also can be reported to the Wyoming Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Unit at 307-777-8962 or 1-800-438-5799.

It’s also important to always be wary of emails, phone calls, sales offers or alerts that could be from scammers.

Even if a phone number appears to be local, it doesn’t mean a local person is on the other end of the line. Last month, the Park County Sheriff’s Office warned of scammers who claimed to represent Wyoming or Colorado fire crews and asked for support in fighting wildfires.

Con artists are often quite creative in their tactics, so scams constantly change and new ones arise. As technology becomes more advanced, so do the schemes.

As Chief Eckerdt said, confirm everything before you act — a legitimate source will not refuse to let you get off the phone to confirm the details.

You’ve likely heard these warnings many times, but following last week’s incident, we believe it bears repeating.