NOBLESVILLE, Ind. — Legitimate agencies often use the mail to contact us if there is a concern.
That is why scammers are going this route, too. It is believable.
A letter recently sent to a 90-year-old person that said it is the "Final demand for payment...for nonpayment of taxes." It says it is from the "Tax Processing Unit" for Hamilton County.
The family figured out the notice was a scam for a few reasons.
First, the urgency to pay up. Another sign? No government website to pay online.
To be sure, the person's family looked up the agency's phone numbers independently and called to verify the letter was a scam.
That means instead of calling the number on the mailing, the woman's son, Chuck Kelly, Googled phone numbers himself.
"I mean, if I was my mother and I got this request for $8,000 immediately, I'd be scared. I'd be frightened and that might cause me, if I'm living alone, it might cause me to respond and call the phone number, and that's got terrible consequences," Kelly said.
The threatening letter was also sent in Spanish.
It is important to regularly talk to family and friends about scams.
The FBI reported that scams targeting people 60 and older caused over $3.4 billion in losses in 2023, an increase of approximately 11% from the year prior.
The average victim of elder fraud lost $33,915 due to these crimes in 2023.
Scammers often target seniors because they are polite, have a nest egg and are unlikely to report scams out of embarrassment.