Seniors are being targeted with new phone scam - here's what you should know

FOX 2 (WJBK) - Scams targeting seniors are on the rise because many are willing to trust those they’ve never met before, after being contacted by phone.

"I am concerned, my mother will answer almost anything just to talk to anybody," said John Srabian.

Jenny Jarvis from the Area Agency on Aging 1B said the latest scam is a phone call pretending to be from a government agency asking personal information.

"Bad actors that are calling, and impersonating people as an elder care locator are using the term elder care and impersonating a service that’s offered by the Administration of Community Living," Jarvis said. "It starts out as a robocall that asks a few questions and then you get a person on the phone starting to ask for personal information."

The caller will ask for information like your Social Security Number or banking information.

"If you receive a call like this hang up immediately," Jarvis said. "This is a scam. No government agency will contact you to solicit that type of information."

Many agencies are working to get the word out about this scam.

"We started to receive calls last week and started to look into it, and then we were able to put this all together as part of the scam that’s happening nationally," Jarvis said.

And organizers say there are some simple steps to follow to avoid being the target of a scam.

"If it’s a number you don’t recognize don’t pick up," she said. "Don’t give out any personal information, bank account, credit cards."

If you believe you been victimized call the police to report the crime.