SARANAC LAKE — Scams are ubiquitous in modern life, be it online, on social media or over the phone. Scammers usually target the elderly and most vulnerable of society, using fear and intimidation to trick people into paying their way out of imaginary situations. Last Thursday, the Social Security Administration and its Office of the Inspector General held their fifth annual “Slam the Scam” day to raise awareness of Social Security imposter scams.

“Scammers use fear and deception to scare people out of their critical benefits,” Commissioner of Social Security Martin O’Malley said in a statement. “We urge everyone to protect their personal information, remain vigilant, do not give money and report any scam attempts to oig.ssa.gov.”

Some of the most common scams are people pretending to be with Social Security and claiming a person’s Social Security number is suspended; calling to demand an immediate payment; threatening them with arrest; asking for credit or debit card numbers over the phone; requesting gift cards or cash; or promising a Social Security benefit approval or increase in exchange for information or money.

Social Security employees will never do any of the above, nor will they contact the public by telephone for business purposes, according to the SSA.

Scammers may also send fake documents to pressure people into complying with demands for information or money, the SSA said. Other common tactics include citing “badge numbers,” using fraudulent Social Security letterhead and creating imposter social media pages to target individuals for payment or personal information.

Ordinarily, the agency calls people who have recently applied for a Social Security benefit, are already receiving payments and require an update to their record or have requested a phone call from the agency. If there is a problem with a person’s Social Security number or record, Social Security will typically mail a letter, the SSA said.

Lake Placid Village Police Chief Chuck Dobson told the Enterprise that while the department does not have any one scam of particular concern, they receive calls almost daily reporting scams.

Gift card scams are frequent, he said. In these cases, scammers will call a person and claim to be with the police or some other government agency, insisting they either have a warrant for the person’s arrest or that the person has unpaid bills. They will then offer to clear up the fabricated issues if the victim sends gift cards of various amounts.

“It’s just like those old adages, if it sounds too good to be true it probably is,” he said.

Dobson also said the department has received reports of Airbnb and other real estate scams, in which victims will pay for a fake rental and lose the money.

He added that if someone claiming to be from an agency reaches out to you, verify thoroughly before giving any information or money. No real agency will ever ask a person to purchase gift cards for any legitimate reason, he said.

Sgt. Kaycee Kolodzey of the Essex County Sheriff’s Department said that her department receives similar reports. Some victims said they received calls from numbers with a 518 area code claiming to be from the sheriff’s department or New York State Police and asking for payment via Paypal, Venmo or other services to clear an active warrant. Kolodzey personally received a call from someone claiming to be an Essex County Sheriff’s Department investigator, who promptly hung up upon discovering the sergeant’s occupation.

Kolodzey said the department has no way of catching the callers. She added that sheriffs would never solicit payment over the phone to clear a warrant. To avoid these scams while also verifying there is no issue with the police, she said people can hang up and call the department directly.

The New York State Police deal with scams, too. On Dec. 12, 2023, Sergeant John Beattie at State Police North Syracuse received a call from an Uber driver stating he had just picked up a package from an elderly couple’s residence in Ithaca that contained a large amount of money.

The Uber driver was under surveillance within 30 minutes, and the recipients of the package were arrested upon delivery. The package held $23,000 in cash. After searching their motel room, more cash was found. A total of $34,000 was recovered during the investigation.

The two scammers, both from Florida, convinced the elderly victims to send the money as bail for their nephew, who was never in custody.

Family scams preying on elderly people’s love for their nieces, nephews or grandchildren are common. State Police are urging anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation to try and get hold of their grandchild or the child’s parents to confirm the status of the child before sending any money.

Many scammers can impersonate your loved one convincingly, using social media to find personal information. They can also hack email accounts of relatives. They may also swear the victim to secrecy so that by the time a person finds out through family that the situation was totally false, it’s too late.

State Police recommend using these tips: ¯Grandparents can ask a question only their grandchild would know, such as the name of a pet, the grandchild’s mother’s birthday or the name of the grandchild’s elementary school.

¯If someone calls or sends a message claiming to be a family member or a friend desperate for money, resist the urge to act immediately, no matter how dramatic the story is.

¯Verify the person’s identity by asking questions that a stranger couldn’t possibly answer.

¯Check the story out with someone else in your family or circle of friends, even if you’ve been told to keep it a secret.

¯Don’t wire money or send a check or money order by overnight delivery or courier.

Data from the Federal Trade Commission shows that last year, New York state residents reported a total of 63,833 cases involving general fraud, identity theft and other scams, with a statewide loss of $101.2 million. Those numbers are up from 2022, when there were a reported 58,083 total cases and a loss of $93.6 million.

Report possible fraud at ftc.gov/complaint or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP.