Here are two scams targeting senior citizens during this holiday season
FLEMINGTON - It's the season for giving to family, friends and legitimate community nonprofit organizations.
It's also the season when that spirit of generosity is exploited by scammers who target senior citizens who may not be tech savvy.Hunterdon County Sheriff Fred W. Brown is warning the public about two new and increasingly sophisticated scams during this holiday season.
The first scam involves a caller who will contact an individual representing themselves as a member of the Geek Squad technical team.
According to the sheriff, the caller will try to get the resident to give them access to their personal computer or mobile device.
If you receive such a call, Brown said, you should hang up immediately and not allow remote access to your home computer or mobile device.
The second scam involves fake correspondence from PayPal.
In this scam, residents are receiving text messages or emails alleging an issue with a consumer PayPal account. They are then directed to a phone number or email link where there is an attempt to gather personal information.
Brown repeats that residents should not contact these numbers or click on unidentified web links.
“Scammers are particularly aggressive during the holiday season attempting to deceive residents with misleading phone calls, emails, and text messages hoping to exploit a moment of confusion particularly during the heavy shopping season. Residents need to remain vigilant, and never hesitate to contact the Hunterdon County Sheriff’s Office or their local law enforcement department if they have question about correspondence that they have received.” Brown said.
Residents should contact the Hunterdon County Sheriff’s Office, 908-788-1166, with any questions or to report suspicious activity.
Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com
Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Here are two scams targeting senior citizens during this holiday season
