Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy Scammers Targeting Seniors, Freeholder Warns

Scammer claims computers were damaged in the storm and requests personal information

Seniors should be aware of scammers using Hurricane Sandy as a means to solicit Social Security and other personal information, Ocean County officials warned Friday. A county woman recently reported that she received a call from an individual claiming to be from the Social Security administration. If she did not give up her husband's Social Security number, the caller claimed his benefits would stop, said Freeholder Joseph Vicari, who serves as chairman of Senior Services.  "The ploy used was that Social Security administration computers were damaged in the hurricane," Vicari said. "This is not true." Social Security and Medicare will not call beneficiaries at home to ask for personal information or try to sell any products, Vicari said. "…

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Seniors Taught How to Avoid Scams

N.J. Division of Consumer Affairs holds free program to increase senior fraud awareness.

It’s okay to be rude and hang up on suspicious callers, area seniors were told at a consumer information event aimed to protect them from fraud. The N.J. Division of Consumer Affairs' new "FedUp Handbook"—a 58-page pamphlet on senior fraud and protection—was distributed for the first time last week. N.J. Attorney General Jeff Chiesa said the handbook was first created in 2008 and was recently updated because con artists are continuously developing new ways to scam seniors. Chiesa shared the “grandparent scam” as an example of a new tactic being used to trick seniors into parting with their money. With the grandparent scam, seniors are told a grandchild is in trouble and needs either bail money or money to pay for hospital fees. Other …

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