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SCAMS......AND “DI ZEYDE-BOBE SCAM”
“The Yiddish words for grandfather and grandmother are “zeyde” and “bobe.”
The Yiddish word for “fraud” is “shvindl.”
Marjorie Gottlieb Wolfe
Syosset, New York
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“There are so many scams on the Internet now...Send me $19.95 and I
will tell you how to avoid them.”
Unknown quote
Scams have been targeting seniors for years. We've got the lottery scam, the Microsoft Tech-support scam, the Romance scam, and “di zeyde-bobe scam.” Today's senior (“elter”) must be very cautious!
If someone calls you from Microsoft tech support to help you fix your “kompyuter,” mobile phone, or tablet this is a scam designed to install malicious software on your computer, steal your personal information, or both. You're in trouble (“ahf tsores”)!
Cybercriminals are at work. This nasty fellow (“paskudnyak”) often uses publicly available phone directories, so they might know your name and other personal information.
The conversation begins:
“Hello? I'm calling you from Windows tech support. Our servers have detected viruses on your PC. Are you aware of this?
If you get such a call, hang up. It's a scam. If you give someone your credit card (“kredit-kartl”) information to pay for services, contact your credit card company and alert them to this fraudulent purchase.
THE LOTTERY SCAM
The New York State Gaming Commission is warning all consumers about scammers
who are sending false (“falsh”) announcements regarding lottery prizes. As part of the
scam, an individual is contacted by phone, email, text message, or letter (“briv”) from
a scammer who is claiming that the recipient has won a prize with the New York
Lottery.
Federal law prohibits the sale or mailing of lottery tickets across state lines. The New York Lottery does NOT know who the winners are (except for Lottery subscribers) until they come forward with a winning ticket. They do NOT NOTIFY YOU; you notify them. The New York Lottery never requires payment of any money to claim a prize. No one should pay a “processing fee” or any other requested fee in order to claim a prize. NEVER provide any personal or financial information to a scammer, especially Social Security numbers, and credit card numbers.
ROMANCE SCAMS
Dating and romance fraud is when you've met your perfect (“perfekt”) partner online
but they aren't who they say they are. Once they've gained your trust, they ask for
money for a variety of reasons. (Note: The Yiddish word meaning “to trust” is
“geroyen.”)
The person you have fallen for will probably send you their photograph (“fotografye”) and give you a pet name. They may also ask you for naked (“naket”) photographs of yourself and/or ask you to perform sexual acts in front of a webcam.
The person you developed a relationship with is not who they say they are. You've probably been in contact with several (“etlekhe”) members of a criminal gang. Once they have your sympathy (“mitgefil”), they'll need money to pay travel costs, VISA costs, etc. They may say that a family member is ill (“krank”) and they need money for medical treatment.
Once you send them money, the fraudsters will keep coming back with more reasons to send them money. If you were foolish (“narish”) enough to send them pictures of yourself of a sexual nature, the fraudsters will threaten to send them to your family, friends and work colleagues if you don't go along with the requests for money.
If you've been a victim (“korbn”) of dating fraud, break off all contact immediately and report the fraudster to the website or chat room operator. Do NOT SEND MONEY.
“DI ZEYDE-BOBE SCAM”
I was recently alerted to what has been called the “grandparents scam.” Yes, con artists prey on the elderly...and their love for their grandchild (“eynikl”) or grandchildren. Seniors--many of whom are single and lonely (“elnt”)-- are the most common victims of fraud.
This is not a new scam; it has been around for years. We don't have any figures on how many people have been duped by it, but some estimates place losses in the tens of millions of dollars.
According to Linda White, Special to OMI Agency, “The call often arrives in the middle of the night. ‘Grandma?' the emotional voice on the other end of the phone asks. “I'm in trouble and I need your help right away.” Before long, you're transferring money to what you believe to be a lawyer or police station to get your grandson or granddaughter out of a bind.”
The “grandparent scams” prey on trusting seniors. In one case, Michigan grandparents were taken for $33,000. They wire this money to someone they thought was their grandson after he called and claimed he was caught fishing without a license in Canada and needed to pay a $3,000 fine. They were taken for an additional $30,000 after the supposed grandson called again to say that alcohol and drugs were found when his boat was searched, and he needed $30,000 to post bond to get out of a Canadian jail (“terme”).
According to Bill Schuette, Attorney General, “a grandparent receives a frantic call from someone they believe to be their grandchild (“eynikl”). The SUPPOSED grandchild sounds distressed and may be calling from a noisy (“tumldik”) location. The supposed grandchild claims to be involved in some kind of trouble while traveling in Canada or overseas, such as being arrested or in a car accident or needing emergency car repairs, and asks he grandparent to immediately wire money to post bail or pay for medical treatment or car repairs. The scammer typically asks for several thousand dollars, and may even call back again several hours or days later asking for more money. He or she may claim embarrassment about the alleged trouble and asks the grandparent to keep it a secret.”
Scammers sometimes call telephone numbers randomly until they reach a senior citizen. In some cases, the senior citizen unknowingly “fills in the blanks” for the thief (“ganev”). For instance, the senior answers the phone, the scammer says something like, “Hi Grandma, it's me, your favorite grandchild.” The grandparent guesses the name of the grandchild the caller sounds most like, and the scammer takes on that grandchild's identify for the remainder of the call.
A common theme of the scam across the nation is the caller's request for the grandparents to wire money through Western Union or MoneyGram or to provide bank account routing number. Wiring money is like sending cash (“mezumen”); there is no protection for the sender. Typically, there is no way you can reverse the transaction, trace the money, or recover payment from the telephone con artists.
“Vi azoy kumt men di kats iber dem vaser”? (How does one work this out? How does one get the cat over the water?)
In conclusion, to avoid being scammed, be suspicious when you receive a telephone
call. If you receive such a call, you should verify the identity and location of the grandchild claiming to be in trouble. Hang up and call another family member who can confirm your grandchild's whereabouts. Stay calm (“rufn”) and avoid acting out of a sense of urgency. Do NOT wire money unless you have verified with an independent third party that your grandchild is truly in trouble.
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MARJORIE GOTTLIEB WOLFE remembers this Yiddish proverb:
“Kleyne kinder, kleyne freydn; groyse kinder, groyse zorgn.”
(Little children, little joys; big children, big worries.)
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