Scammers Lurk Behind Area Code 876

A key to the scammer’s success is convincing victims to promise not to tell their family members and to make it a big surprise. If the scammers feel they have a potential victim, the calls will increase in frequency, resulting in hundreds of calls.

The money is requested through a wire from Western Union, Green Dot Card or in a creative way such as putting $100 bills in each page of a magazine.

“Stay safe by remembering a few simple tips on preventing phone scams,” said AARP New Hampshire lead fraud fighter Harold Moldoff. “Don’t pay any money to collect supposed sweepstakes winnings. Never wire money to anyone with whom you are not familiar. Don’t provide anyone with personal information such as bank account, pin numbers, or Social Security numbers. And contact your local authorities to report a phone scam.”

To educate Granite Staters on keeping their hard-earned money, AARP has a team of volunteer fraud fighters trained to give top frauds and scams presentations to community groups in all corners of the state. There’s even a new presentation on Medicare fraud. Send an email to nh@aarp.org to request a presentation or find out more.

Also of interest:

• The Worst-Rated States for Retirement
• 10 bad spending habits you should break
• Are you worried about your credit rating?
  

Remember to go to the AARP home page every day for great deals and for tips on keeping healthy and sharp.