Travels through Property Law by Tom Brodersen, Esq.
If they can rip off William Webster…… they can rip off anyone.
“I was a federal judge,” William Webster said. “I was the director of the FBI, director of the CIA, and I was the target of an elder fraud scheme.” Mr. Webster is older now, actually 98. He and his wife Lynda Webster were scared to death by someone who called him on his cell phone and made threats.
Cell phones are wonderful devices that make our lives better in so many ways, but they are also something else, something darker. They are a way into your head, a way to penetrate locked doors and every security device you and your family can fashion to protect yourself. All a scammer has to do is get you to answer. Americans tend to be polite, and when someone calls you on the phone and starts talking to you, we tend to believe them, and listen to what they have to say.
But we need to remember, this person on the phone is no one you know. They are probably NOT who they claim to be, and their only goal is to con you out of money or property. No matter what they claim, they are NOT from the IRS, they are NOT from Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, or any other arm of the government. They are just people who don’t want to work for a living like everyone else, they just want to fool you, manipulate you, and get you to give them what is yours.
There is only one rule you need to live by to protect yourself from the scam caller. If you don’t recognize their phone number, don’t answer. Only talk to people YOU call, not every bum who would try to convince you that you have won the lottery or have a wonderful opportunity to help a Nigerian King move money out of his country.
“Scammers will spend many hours and days talking to their targets, getting to know them, offering them friendship and even the promise of love,” Lynda Webster said. “They are skillful con artists, and family members and close friends should be aware.”
“It is in every family’s interest to stay vigilant, Lynda Webster said. “As loved ones, we must be lovingly watchful of the well-being of the elderly in myriad ways. As seniors’ mental acuity declines, their judgement erodes, and it’s the family’s responsibility to protect them from the people who will pray upon them.”
If you suspect you are being called by a con artist, call for help. 1-800-CALL FBI.
ANDERSON & BRODERSEN, P.A.
350 Corey Avenue, St. Pete Beach, FL 33706
727-363-6100www.PropertyLawGroup.com