Expert advice on avoiding scams targeting the elderly available at Clackamas County Fair on Senior Day, August 19

You can’t be too careful these days. The stranger on the other end of a friendly phone call or email could be a scammer who wants to tap into your bank account or steal your identity. 

These criminals often target the elderly and other vulnerable adults.

The Clackamas County Vulnerable Adult Multi-Disciplinary Team wants you to know what to look out for and how to protect yourself and your money. 

The team, including prosecutors from the DA’s Office, will be on hand August 19 at the Clackamas County Fair handing out “scam awareness” packets to interested community members. The packets are full of information on what to look out for and what to do if you’ve been a victim of fraud.

August 19 is Senior Day at the Fair and admission is $2.00 for those age 65 or older and free for those 75 or older. Stop by the District Attorney’s booth and you can talk to prosecutors, detectives, and Adult Protective Services investigators about the financial crimes affecting elderly and other vulnerable adults and learn about the methods scammers frequently use.

“Our goal is to spread the word – not just to vulnerable people, but to everyone so they can use the information to educate their family, friends and neighbors,” said Deputy District Attorney Tiffany Escover, who chairs the Vulnerable Adult Multi-Disciplinary Team.

“Many of these scams originate from other countries, which significantly impairs our ability to prosecute – so prevention is key,” Escover said. 

While their stories continually change, their tactics mostly remain the same. Scammers often pretend to be someone you trust, create a false sense of urgency, and pressure you to send money or share personal information before you've had time to verify the situation. Learning to recognize these patterns can help you spot many different scams.

Escover pointed to a recent example. An 81-year old West Linn woman received a phone call by a person claiming to be an IRS agent demanding an immediate payment of $18,000. The suspect demanded the woman remain on the phone as she drove to two separate banks to withdraw the funds. The woman was able to get word to her son, who alerted police. The suspect, Xianlong Zhang, 34, was arrested when he arrived to pickup the money. Zhang fled to China two weeks later.

Scams are becoming more sophisticated every day as fraudsters use artificial intelligence that can mimic the voices of people you know and generate fake photos.

Here are some common schemes:
•    A caller impersonates a relative in distress and in need of money.
•    Someone claiming to be a government official claiming to be from the IRS, Social Security, Medicare, a police agency or the courts. 
•    A call from a bank, mortgage company or debt collector alerting you to a serious financial problem.
•    Offers of romance or friendship.
•    Too-good-to-be-true offers involving a winning sweepstakes prize or high-risk investments in assets such as gold or cryptocurrency. 

The Fair event is coordinated by the Vulnerable Adult Multi-Disciplinary Team, which includes members of the DA’s Office, the Sheriff’s Office, local law enforcement agencies, Senior Citizen Council, Clackamas Women’s Services and state and local agencies that assist vulnerable adults.

Vulnerable Adult Multi-Disciplinary Team thanks the Clackamas County Fair for donating the space for our booth.