SUFFOLK, Va. — Residents in Suffolk are coming together to combat the rising threat of scams, especially ones targeting seniors.
Ray Blaum, a resident of Lake Prince Woods, says it’s important to raise awareness about what’s happening in the community.
"Every day, I probably get five or six," he said. “They're constantly trying to get you, either texting, emailing, phone calling, [mailing] — you know, whatever it takes to get you suckered in.”
Serving in the Air Force since he was a teenager, Blaum has a heart for protecting people.
To keep his community informed, he distributes a weekly newsletter called "Campus Chatter," which includes alerts about scams and helpful advice.
He encourages people to take extra precautions regarding suspicious emails.
“iPad allows you to click on the email, and then at the very bottom, it says ‘block.’ So I block everything I get,” he said.
The Federal Trade Commission issued a warning that people need to be vigilant with emails.
In the screenshot below, you will see that it looks like a real email from Netflix. However, when you look closer, you will notice it is not addressing the user by name, it immediately talks about billing issues and then wants the viewer to click on a link to update payment details. If you’re not careful, it can be convincing.
"If you look really close, you can see that there will be one letter off or something off in [the message]," said Judy Raymond, executive director of Lake Prince Woods.
Raymond pointed to a conversation she had with a resident recently.
"We even had a resident last week that shared with me an email that looked like a MyChart account from a doctor, clicking below because they owed money. No, your MyChart is not going to ask for money either," she shared.
Raymond, alongside the Suffolk Police Department, Suffolk Sheriff’s Office, and the Commonwealth's Attorney, is raising awareness of these scams. She urges residents to ensure that websites are safe and legitimate, checking for "HTTPS" in the search bar and verifying the domain name.
"We've had staff members walk in [on residents] and prevent things from happening because once the money is gone, a lot of times, they can't get it back," Raymond said. "It could be their life savings."
To minimize your chances of falling victim, don’t click on links in emails, don’t believe you have won anything (especially if you never applied), and never share your bank information or verification codes. Banks will not call you unsolicited asking for this.
Here are resources you can call if you have been scammed:
- Suffolk Police Department
- Suffolk Commonwealth’s Attorney
- Federal Trade Commission
- Better Business Bureau
- Virginia Attorney General
- FBI
- Internet Crime Complaint Center
