Virginia State Police offers tips to protect elderly loved ones from scams

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- As different scams travel through the Commonwealth, the Virginia State Police is offering tips to help people protect their elderly loved ones.

These tips come in time for June 15 -- World Elder Abuse Awareness Day -- which focuses on not only prevention, but a deeper understanding of how scams take advantage of older and more vulnerable adults.

Many Virginians might be familiar with recent text scams that involve asking people for money as a result of fake traffic violations. But some scams directly target older populations.

In a release, state police described the "Grandparent Scam" -- where callers utilize artificial intelligence (AI) to call an older person posing as their grandchild and say they have been taken to jail. They then ask for money or bank information to be given for bail.

“We recommend and encourage everyone, especially older Virginians, to independently verify before you reply,” said Virginia State Police Special Agent A. Galton, an accountant with the Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Culpeper Field Office. “If you receive a call or email, even if it appears to be legitimate, kindly thank them for contacting you.  Then take their name and number and tell them that you will independently communicate - meaning that you will go look up the name and number of that organization and call them yourself.”   

RELATED: Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office warns residents of returning jury duty scam

Virginia State Police provided the following tips and information to help people avoid various traffic violation or elder abuse scams:

• No legitimate business would ever request payment in the form of a gift card, mailed or wired cash, cryptocurrency (Bitcoin).
• State agencies, like the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), will not text individuals about fines or suspensions.
• Verify before you reply -- if you receive and email or text from company, tell them that you will independently communicate, look up the organization and contact them yourself.
• If you receive an email from a company, do not click on any link within the message, verify what they are telling you independently, and contact the company yourself.
• Create a buddy system -- find someone you can trust to tell them about a call or request you have gotten..

For more information on potential scams and how to keep your older loved ones safe, click here.