It’s that time of the year again when crooks are especially busy targeting older adults.
Scammers have become such a big problem the Dallas Police Department formed a unit focused on crimes targeting older north Texans.
Just this week, Dallas police commended alert bank tellers and DPD officers for saving a 76-year-old woman from becoming the victim of a scam.
The woman went to her bank and tried to withdraw $10,000, raising concern from bank workers given the lack of similar withdrawals previously, according to police.
“The teller thought this was unique in his withdrawals and that maybe he was being defrauded by an individual, so he quickly called 911,” said deputy chief Teena Schultz of DPD’s general investigations unit.
Police arrested a suspect in this case. It is one of about 250 similar crimes reported this year, according to DPD.
“Sadly, it happens all year round and it gets worse during the holidays because there’s more opportunity,” said Kathy Stokes, director of fraud prevention programs for the AARP.
A recent national survey found 75% of people said they have been targeted in at least one form of fraud tied to the holidays.
Scammers often seek out victims through online shopping or charitable donations.
“When older adults are targeted and they’re victimized they lose so much more money because they have a lifetime of savings and maybe the social security check and the pension,” said Stokes. “They’re sitting on money…
