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The old adage, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” holds true, according to Santa Clarita Sergeant James Anderson, a 26-year Sheriff’s department veteran, who supervises a team of burglary and fraud investigators, including two who are exclusively devoted to fraud investigation.  He says scam artists will offer you the world and give you nothing.

“Seniors are susceptible to fraud as we all are,” says Anderson, “But, the scam artist likes to tailor their scam to fit the individual, for instance, if it is an elderly person they are targeting, they make a ploy on their emotions, asking things like, ‘How much money are you leaving to your grandkids and would you like to leave more?’”

Santa Clarita seniors have been known to fall for scams losing thousands and thousands of unrecoverable dollars.
“They will approach someone and say that they have a $100,000 winning lottery ticket and no identification.  They say, ‘You look like a God-fearing person who wouldn’t rip me off.  Just give me $30,000 and I’ll give you the ticket to go and cash for me,’” says Anderson.
The victim falls for the scam and soon after realizes they’ve been ripped-off and maybe contacts the authorities.  
“We have investigated numerous cases but, we’re certain there are even more that go unreported because the victims are too embarrassed to admit they were taken,” says Anderson.

Anderson compares it to the days of the covered wagon when scam artists lied about and sold snake oil to people promising alleged medical benefits that were unfounded.

“It irritates me when we catch these guys and see how little remorse they have and then I see the turmoil they cause these families,” says Anderson, “The best defense against these scam artists is being educated.”

Anderson says they’ve had cases where people go to the bank and withdraw and lose their entire nest egg.  Recently, a woman took out an equity line of credit on her home to pay $300,000 in taxes on a fraudulent claim that she’d won a $350 million dollar lottery.  There is no way to recover the funds once they’ve been paid.

“Many times these thieves are very intelligent people who need fast money for drugs,” says Anderson, whose department delivers educational talks several times each month as part of a Sheriff and City of Santa Clarita-sponsored program called Fraud and Identity Theft Education (FITE).

Those talks include, among other topics, identity theft, a crime on the rise at an alarming pace over the past decade.
“If you ask a room full of people, half of them will admit to being the victims of identity theft,” says Anderson.
Anderson offers the following identity theft prevention tips:

– When using your credit cards, protect your card number and personal identification number (PIN).
– Don’t write your complete credit card number on your receipt.
– Don’t keep your PIN in your wallet or purse.  Carrying your credit card with your PIN is giving the thief access to your money.
– Keep track of your card.  If you give your card to a clerk, make sure you get it back.
– Choose only one credit card for use when making Internet and phone purchases.
– Do not respond to unsolicited e-mails that ask for personal information.
If you suspect an offer to be illegitimate or want to report theft or fraud, contact Sergeant James Anderson at 661-255-1121.

Santa Clarita Magazine

Santa Clarita Magazine