By Kevin Herrera
Editor in Chief

KEN EDWARDS CENTER Tucked away in a gray cubicle, Roslyn Datz, a volunteer with WISE & Health Aging, went through a list of telephone numbers of fellow seniors living halfway across the country, picked up a phone and began making calls warning these strangers about not falling victim to a scam.

And there are a lot of scams out there to be wary of. Some have been duped into sending $10,000 to a crook, thinking that they would soon be rewarded with a check for $200,000 — as the winner of a contest. Others have given up their Social Security and bank account numbers, thinking they were talking to someone from the IRS trying to send out a tax refund.

As a decade-long volunteer at the Senior Fraud Prevention Center, located on the third floor of the Ken Edwards Center, Datz has heard them all and will continue to give advice to fellow seniors, at least for another year thanks to a grant from the AARP Foundation.

“We know that financial frauds and scams are a terrible threat to the financial security for older adults,” said Kim Hubbard, director of elder abuse prevention at WISE. “We are turning the tables on these criminals by speaking directly to consumers, warning them about current scams and helping them not to become victims.”

In 2007, call center volunteers contacted more than 60,000 older consumers across the country, warning them about scams delivered by telephone, mail and the Internet, and providing fraud protection tips and information. Due to this success, additional funding was provided by the AARP, said Petula Storey, who manages the call center.

It is especially important to keep the call center up and running now because of the increased sophistication of con artists and the economic hardships more people on fixed incomes are facing, Storey said.

The biggest scam now involves the economic stimulus package approved by President Bush that could amount to an average of $600 per person.

“In this time of economic need, some people are more desperate than others and may be susceptible to this kind of scam,” Storey said. “Since those who are calling say they are from the IRS, people believe they are legitimate … We want to warn people and be ahead of the game.”

With help from the FBI and local law enforcement, volunteers are informed about the latest scams and techniques people can use to protect themselves.

“We used to tell people to just hang up,” said Datz, who was one of the first volunteers at the call center.

Now volunteers warn people to never give out personal information over the phone or the Internet, and to always ask the caller for their name, number and the organization they are with and then tell them to call back later. It is important to follow up on the call and contact the organization the caller claims to be with to find out if they are telling the truth. The best idea is to get numbers from the phone book or from the Better Business Bureau.

Oftentimes people are the victims of a scam but are too embarrassed to report it. Volunteers encourage people to file a report with the police so that law enforcement can build a case against the scam artist and put them behind bars.

“No one likes to be made a fool of,” Datz said. “People always say, ‘Not me, but my neighbor down the street.’”

Sometimes callers can be difficult, cranky and rude, but it comes with the territory.

“If a person just hangs up then that’s good,” said volunteer Inez Yerrington. “That means when a phone telemarketer calls, they’ll hang up, too.”

Some volunteers have had polite conversations with those they call, some hooking up with those who live in their old home towns, exchanging stories about the good old days.

Volunteers said the interaction with others and the chance to make a positive impact is what keeps them coming back.

“It’s really important that when you are retired, you keep your mind active,” volunteer Lou Burg said. “It’s nice to be able to do something that helps other people and that gets you out of the house.”

The call center is constantly looking for new volunteers.

“Volunteers provide the power for our project” Storey said. “The ideal volunteer must enjoy talking on the phone with people and be interested in consumer protection.”

For more information or to become a volunteer, call Storey at (310) 394-9871, ext. 441.

kevinh@smdp.com