10/8/25
Today, our guest speaker was Detective Kayte Witten - Elderly Services Officer with the Wheaton Police Department.
The elderly are particularly susceptible to financial fraud, and in DuPage County crime trends involving the elderly include:
- Identity theft and telephone scams
- Burglary to motor vehicles and motor vehicle thefts
- Ruse burglaries and home repair fraud
Identity Theft
- It can take many forms including theft of your wallet or purse
- What should you NOT carry in your wallet or purse:
- Social Security card
- Medicare card
- Personal checks
- Numerous credit cards
- Birth certificate
- Bank account numbers
- Large amounts of cash
- Spare keys
Telephone scams are common because they are successful at tricking you into providing information such as Social Security Number, Charge/Debit card details. Examples:
- Posing as an attorney or as a police officer, the scammer calls and identifies some one you know as being in trouble, or being hurt, or otherwise needing help requiring immediate financial payment from you.
- Posing as a representative of the IRS, the scammer advises that you owe money to the IRS and must pay immediately via charge card or wire transfer.
- Posing as a representative of the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Service to sell you bogus insurance or claim that you are owed a sizeable refund. To process anything, you are to provide your Medicare Beneficiary Identifier or Social Security Number. With this information the scammers will pretend to be health care providers and submit fraudulent claims to Medicare or to obtain opioid drugs.
- Posing as a security expert from Microsoft, the scammer advises that you computer/laptop is infected with a malware virus and that you need to grant them remote access to your device to remove the malware. This requires immediate payment. By granting access, they then install malware and access your personal data.
- Foreign Lottery / Prizes / Free Gifts scams: You receive a letter, call or email claiming you won something. To receive it, you need to pay for taxes or a processing fee. You never receive a prize or gift.
- What can you do:
- Hang up the phone
- Do NOT give out your personal identifying information.
- Resist the urge to act immediately, no mater how dramatic the story.
- Call a family member at a phone number you know is genuine.
- Check out the story with family or friends even if you have been told to keep it secret.
- Do NOT wire money send a check, or buy a gift card of any kind.
Ruse Burglaries-In Person
- Criminals will pose as employees of the city or utility companies and give an excuse to get inside your house. They work in pairs with one stealing your money or valuable items while you are being distracted by the other.
- What you can do:
- Never let anyone inside your home without prior notification and identification.
- If anyone claims to need access to your property, tell them to wait outside while you verify with the company they work for. Do NOT use a phone number they provide.
- Keep all your doors and windows locked
Home Repair Fraud-in Person
- Common Types of Repair: seal coating, chimney work, car repair, roofing and siding
- Always say they are doing work in the neighborhood.
- Try to sell you on a cheap price with work to be quickly completed