THIS WEEK
A caller claims to be from the FTC and threatens your number
The FTC is warning about a new twist on a familiar scam. Someone calls and says they are an FTC official. They say a phone was registered under your name and number and is being used to commit scams in another country. They may even read off a badge ID, but the badge is fake.
If you hesitate, they threaten to deactivate your phone number. They transfer you to a fake police officer to file a report. If you want to check, they may tell you to call the police department yourself and tell you what to search online to find the number. The number you find can ring back to people in the scam. Later they say you are under arrest and must travel to another country, unless you send money for a security deposit.
How to spot it
A caller threatens to disconnect or deactivate your phone number.
You are told to keep the conversation secret.
You are passed to a "police officer" or asked to send a photo of your ID or other personal details for a "report."
Anyone asks you to send money, including a "security deposit."
What to do
Hang up. A real FTC employee will never ask you to send money, threaten your phone service, or tell you to keep a call secret.
Do not call back a number the caller told you to search for. If you want to check something, find the number yourself from an official bill, card or letter, and talk it over with someone you trust first.
If you spot one of these calls, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If you already shared information or sent money, tell your bank and a family member right away.
MONEY THIS WEEK
Never read a verification code to anyone
The six digit codes your bank or email sends by text are the last lock on your account. A real company will never call or text asking you to read a code back to them. If someone asks for it, that is the scam.
What to do: If anyone asks for a code you just received, end the call or stop replying, then contact your bank or email provider yourself using a number you already trust.
LIVING WELL
What the fees cover in a 55 plus community
Monthly fees in a 55 plus community usually pay for shared amenities and upkeep, but what is included differs widely from one community to the next. Ask for the details before you buy, not after. Under federal law, a 55 plus community must have at least one resident aged 55 or older in at least 80 percent of occupied homes.
Ask for the budget, the reserve study, and the history of fee increases and special assessments.
Ask exactly what the monthly fee includes and what it does not.
Read the rules on guests, rentals and pets before you decide.
ALSO THIS WEEK
Passport search ads that look like the government
The FTC has sued a company it says used paid Google search ads to pose as the federal government or an official provider for passport services. The FTC alleges that many customers got only a passport application they could have gotten free from the State Department, and the case will be decided by a court. When you need a passport service, skip the sponsored results and go straight to the State Department's own website.
Keep a medication list in your pocket
More than a third of older adults now take five or more medications a day, often from several prescribers and pharmacies. Experts say not to assume someone is checking how they all fit together. Write down everything you take, including vitamins and supplements, and bring the list to every appointment.
Think it's a scam? Ask SAM
Hang up or set it aside first. Then talk it through with SAM before you do anything.