FAIRMONT — Fairmont Police Sgt. James Kotewa recently offered information on a variety of scams targeting seniors in the area.

Kotewa has been with the police department for many years. He has worked as a patrol officer, done full-time narcotic investigations and currently works as the senior patrol sergeant.

Kotewa said there are several reasons why seniors are the target of telephone scams, including that most are retired and are at home to answer the phone.

“It’s also a generational thing,” he added. “This generation is about respect and listening, so seniors have a harder time hanging up the phone on someone. These telemarketers will call and do anything they can to intimidate you because they want your money.”

Kotewa said the scammers target anyone older than age 50.

He went through a number of scams the police department has been seeing recently. One is called the “grandparents scam.”

“They’ll typically call and say, ‘Hey, grandma, grandpa, I’m in jail and I need money to get out of jail,'” Kotewa said. “They’ll ask you for money and ask you not to tell any other family members about it.”

He urged people who receive such a call to contact another family member to see if the call was legitimate.

Another scam involves people calling and claiming they are from the IRS and that a senior owes money. Kotewa said these scammers typically have a thick Middle Eastern accent.

Kotewa said the department has seen anywhere from $3,000 to $10,000 taken from people in Fairmont, but the most was $21,000 a few years ago.

“We can’t help you,” he said. “When the money is gone, we can’t help you and the federal government can’t step in because it’s less than $500,000. Once you send the money it’s gone.”

Another scam is the Social Security scam. Kotewa said criminals can use the internet to find out a lot of information about people, including full name, address and date of birth. They will then ask them to verify a Social Security number.

Kotewa explained that while scams have been taking place for years and years, the internet has really changed things, making it easier for con artists to find information. Kotewa explained that these people have the ability to use computer programs to spoof the IRS or the Social Security office, so the number looks legitimate on the caller ID.

“Don’t ever give out your personal information to anyone over the phone,” Kotewa said. “If you initiate the call, that’s your decision to do that. But if you don’t know who the caller is, don’t trust them.”

Yet another common scam is called the “romance scam.” Kotewa said the scammer will contact seniors through social media such as Facebook and send messages, pretending there is a romantic interest. They will ask for money so they can come visit.

“They’ll pretend to be your friend or a romantic interest,” he said. “A gentleman in town sent someone $4,500 and was surprised when she didn’t show up.”

Kotewa provided some tips on how seniors can avoid scammers and protect their money:

He advised people to never leave their mail outside. If you’re going out of town, find a trusted person to collect your mail because personal information, including bank information, can be collected from mail.

Kotewa also reminded people to shred any papers with personal information on it because some people will “dumpster dive” to find mail containing personal information.

“Don’t ever hand out your personal information to anyone over the phone,” Kotewa stressed.

If something seems too good to be true, Kotewa advised seniors to ask someone else to take a look at it. He also urged seniors to communicate with family members.

“If you get a phone call and you don’t know who they are and they’re asking for money or for personal information, it’s OK to hang up on them,” he said. “It is not rude for an unsolicited phone-caller to be hung up on.”

“Don’t let anyone take advantage of you because you’re kind, gentle, respectful and have an understanding,” Kotewa stressed.