Protect elderly from scammers

Most Hawaii seniors grew up at a time, and in a community, where there were far fewer worries about security. There was only the front door to be watched — and even then, locks weren’t always used. Nobody had heard of the Internet, and there were no persistent robo-calls on the phone from people trying to part the vulnerable from their money.

That is not the Hawaii of 2015 and, as the state’s elderly population grows, the problem of financial scams has also continued to mount for the past several years. Families of seniors need to become vigilant advocates for their loved ones, and work with them to help ward off the scams that now surround seniors, coming through every mode of delivery.

Further, county and state governments need a review of Hawaii’s capacity to counter this victimization, both through strengthened penalties for financial fraudsters and sufficient staffing for those prosecuting the offenses.

The cases that come to light represent only a fraction of what’s actually occurring, because too few of the victims want to acknowledge they were swindled through a fraudulent scheme.

In Sunday’s Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Hilo resident Milnor Lum, 88, shared with writer Dave Segal his own experiences as a victim of fraud — in his case, a sweepstakes scam that ultimately cost him more than $1,000.

That’s one of the most common rip-offs locally, but they run the gamut. There are the impostor scams — that con involving a caller claiming to be from Microsoft, seeking remote access to the home computer — and the shop-at-home deals that are too good to be true, because they aren’t.

Lum said he stepped forward in hopes of helping others but was reluctant because, he admitted frankly, it’s embarrassing. Adults want to feel in control of their lives and their finances, and seniors are no different.

Even so, a clear uptick in the cases has been registered. Scott Spallina, the deputy city prosecutor who heads Honolulu’s Elder Abuse Justice Unit, said his phone rings multiple times daily. When he started the unit seven years ago, a new case came in every few weeks.

Beyond the anecdotal accounts, AARP Hawaii has conducted a survey of adults 18 and older, showing about 43 percent report that they or someone they know has been contacted by someone inviting them to claim their winnings in a lottery or sweepstakes — for some kind of fee.

That’s a common approach afflicting potential victims of all ages. But, as experts frequently point out, the onset of dementia for many elders makes them more susceptible to scams.

Family members who note their senior loved ones developing memory loss and other signs of age need to take that as a signal to help them get their financial house in order, rather than wait until the scammers descend. This is the time to take care of wills, trusts and accounts that make them a target for fraud. Sadly, those attacks can come from neighbors and even family members they know, as well as the con artists who are strangers.

AARP has been doing outreach events statewide to educate seniors about protecting themselves (see aarp.org/states/hi./ and click the link on the left for "AARP HI Fraud Watch Network Events").

Ideas include a range of fairly simple safeguards, such as using a locking mailbox to ward off identity theft, leaving Social Security cards in a safe place as opposed to carrying them, shredding old documents and taking care with electronic passwords.

Hawaii’s senior population is rising rapidly as the baby boomers retire, and the decided preference among most retirees is to "age in place," continuing to live in their own homes for as long as possible.

But if elders are to age in place, that place — their home — must be a safe place, and it’s going to take a concerted effort by everyone to keep it that way.