Attorney General Nessel Visits Southfield to Warn Seniors About “Pig Butchering” And Other Scams
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Sept. 25, 2024)
Southfield, MI – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel visited Southfield earlier this month to speak at the annual Senior Summit hosted by State Senator Jeremy Moss. The event brought a slew of organizations together to share information with an audience of older adults and their families.
Nessel’s presentation had the crowd riveted as they listened to the latest scams affecting seniors. She noted that there are many reasons why criminals target older adults.
Seniors may not be as good at technology, making them more vulnerable to online attacks and manipulation. They also tend to be more trusting. “You’re more likely to answer the door,” Nessel said. “You’re more likely to answer the phone.”
But the number one reason, she said, is because seniors are more likely to have savings, and steady sources of income such as social security or a pension.
Scams can relate to all sorts of scenarios, including medical care, COVID, taxes, flooding, home repair, relationships, and more. “But there are always the same basic angles you’re going to want to look for,” Nessel said.
First is that someone creates an urgent set of circumstances.
Second is they often know some information, and want to know more.
And third is they want money. This can be trying to get a target to pay them online, they may want access to their bank account, or they may want someone to cash a check and convert it to gift cards, or other circumstances that involve financial transactions.
Many people still do not realize that called IDs can be spoofed, so a call may seem to be coming from a legitimate business, or a utility company, or a police department or court, or someone the target knows. Now AI technology is available that can mimic the voice of people using only 4 seconds of the person’s voice – enough to pull from an online video or voicemail message.
If you’re talking to someone you think you know, ask questions to make sure it is really them, the AG said.
The biggest scam as of late, Nessel said, is called “pig butchering.” It’s a deviation of classic romance scams, where someone courts their victim to sweet-talk money out of them as gifts, investment opportunities, or by finding out their personal information to steal their assets.
With pig butchering, strangers start conversations online or by text, sometimes through apps like Facebook, dating apps, and other social media platforms. Someone could text something unusual, making the target think the person who sent the message had the wrong number. From there a conversation could build, especially if the scammer has done their research and found out information about their victim and can find something they have in common.
The scammer might then converse with the target for days, or weeks, or even months in order to build trust and a relationship. But eventually money will come up. There will be some emergency or some opportunity, like an investment. People have lost their life savings to people who have taken the time to get close to them before executing their swindle.
“If you have a loved one that is talking to someone far away they’ve never met, tell them to stop,” Nessel said.
The Michigan Attorney General’s Office offers online resources to help keep people informed about scams. Visit https://www.michigan.gov/consumerprotection/scams
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