Trumbull Police Officer Joe Velky opened a few eyes at Stern Village recently as he taught the mostly-senior residents not to send money by Western Union or bail their grandchildren out of jail.
"You are high targets because you have nest eggs," Velky said.
Banks, Social Security and Medicare will not call directly to verify information, according to Velky.
A request to send money by Western Union is a "big huge red flag."
There are also scams that require a down payment for lottery winnings and filling up debit cards.
Most of the scammers are professionals, Velky said. "That's their job. There are people who steal cars for a living."
He advised residents to get the phone numbers of callers and pass them onto police. Velky said he would call the scammers back until they changed their number.
"I'll call them back all night long," the officer said.
Mostly, he advised the residents to hang up on scammers. "You don't need a new driveway. You don't need your chimney cleaned. We have the ability to take all their equipment."
"Just hang up. It's OK," he said.
Finally, Velky said not to carry social security or Medicare cards and to shred important papers.
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