A White House Police sergeant explains how the department is helping educate senior citizens in the community about scams.
WHITE HOUSE, Tenn. (WKRN) — From internet schemes to fishy phone calls, local leaders are concerned scammers are becoming more sophisticated — and that one of their biggest targets may be the least equipped to fight back.
The White House Police Department is going the extra mile to combat fraud by educating senior citizens about common scams and risks.
“Anytime they’re asking for personal information, date of birth, social security numbers, account numbers, you just need to get off the phone,” said White House Police Sgt. of Training and Community Relations Eric Enck. “They’re throwing a fishing line out there, and you just bit.”
Enck said he recently spoke at a new senior facility in the community to teach older adults how to stay safe.
He said many who attended shared personal experiences, some losing tens of thousands of dollars within minutes of meeting a scammer.
“A lot of people are living on their social security, and they’re maybe having a little bit of a hard time making ends meet. Then, something pops up, and they’re trusting, and somebody takes advantage of that — it changes their lifestyle,” Enck said.
Along with a tendency to be more trusting, he said some seniors may be more vulnerable if they have less experience with technology.
“Grandparents have big hearts, and they’re going to give to their grandkids… and they’re being taken advantage of,” Enck said.
Enck even recalled a time his own grandmother recieved a spam phone call.
“She said I got a phone call at midnight, and the person on the other line was crying, ‘I’m in jail, I need you to help me. This is your grandson Eric.’ And she said she started laughing and said, ‘my grandson Eric’s a police officer. He’s not in jail.’ And hung up on him.”
Enck said when you receive a suspicious phone call, never pick it up.
“Because numbers can be spoofed, they can be really tricky. It may show up, here in the White House community, as 6-7-2 number, and you answer it, and it’s someone across seas, who knows where,” he said.
Additionally, he said if someone is contacting you with a high-pressure demand, take a deep breath and don’t panic; scammers may urgently ask for your account information, claiming to be a bank or the IRS.
“Well, that’s not the IRS’ job. They don’t come out and say, ‘this has got to be paid or we’re going to put you in jail.’ But people fall for that,” Enck said.