SCAM ALERT | Con Job Targeting the Elderly

An 89-year-old Spokane Valley woman was nearly bilked out of $2,500 Wednesday by a con man who told her he was checking employees at a Spokane financial institution to “see if they were handling her account correctly.”

The woman told a crime check operator that the suspect called her and asked what her balance was.  She gave a number and the suspect requested she write a check for $2,500 and deliver it to a man waiting at a nearby grocery store.

The man’s name was “Meyers,” and she was to hand him the check.  The intended-victim said she was preparing to leave with the check when it occurred to her to call the bank.  Employees there quickly prevented the attempted fraud. The woman told Crime Check that the suspect had told her that they had cameras on her house and that she was not to tell anyone about the “investigation.”

Children of elderly parents should talk to them about potential fraud suspects who may try to bilk them out of their savings or property.  Persons in their 70’s and older grew up in an age where people were more trusting in others, and the elderly frequently fall prey to this type of con.

Thieves pay particular attention to published obituaries seeking elderly widows or widowers that they can target for scams.  For this motive, children of elderly parents should urge them to discuss any requests for money or checks from anyone they do not personally know.