Caught in a scammer's trap? Seniors vs. crime can help

By SUSAN SALISBURY
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Updated: 7:45 p.m. Monday, May 24, 2010
Posted: 7:31 p.m. Friday, May 21, 2010
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WEST PALM BEACH — When it comes to scams, Jerry Feblowitz, a volunteer at the state's Seniors vs. Crime program for five years, feels like he's seen every type of fraud, scheme and unethical treatment possible.

But then yet another consumer who has been scammed will come in for help from Senior vs. Crime's volunteers, and Feblowitz, 80, learns yet another twist on the ways that people are deceived and bilked. The office has helped people who have been scammed by dentists, furniture stores, auto repair shops, banks, credit card companies, plumbers, carpenters, insulation companies, phone companies, elevator firms and more.

"It's absolutely incredible. Every time you turn around, there is something else," said Feblowitz, who oversees the West Palm Beach office in the Pine Trail Shopping Plaza.

Jackie Bond, 74, of West Palm Beach, turned to Seniors vs. Crime when a computer repair shop told her she could not have her computer back until she paid a $490 bill for a repair she had not authorized.

Feblowitz called the shop, and the company said that Bond could have her computer back, and there would be no charge. The computer was returned, but the files had been erased.

"At least she got her computer back," Feblowitz said.

Seniors vs. Crime, staffed with "senior sleuths," has some clout because it's a project of the state attorney general's office. When a vendor receives a call and that's mentioned, it gets their attention, Feblowitz said.

"Oftentimes, that wakes them up. We call and confront them," Feblowitz said. "If we get a number of cases on a scam, then we can take the info to the attorney general, and he goes after them big time."

Along with coming to the rescue of consumers who have been victimized by everything from water filter firms to travel scams and identity theft, part of the senior sleuths' mission is education.

The volunteers will help anyone of any age who believes he or she has been taken advantage of, not just senior citizens. They will even assist consumers in checking out a company or product before making a purchase. The program also includes a Senior Medicare and Medicaid Patrol, which helps keep people from becoming a victim of health care fraud and abuse.

Statewide, Seniors vs. Crime has more than 3,000 volunteers in 30 offices and has recovered about $8 million for people since its founding in 1989, according to the attorney general's office. The program began in Boynton Beach as part of then-Attorney General Bob Butterworth's task force on crime against the elderly. The free service is funded through fines the attorney general's office collects.

"People have no awareness," said Feblowitz, who spoke to 19 community groups last year. "We tell them simple things. We ask how many people have their Social Security cards in their wallets or pockets and how many people carry their Medicare cards? Don't carry these with you. If they are stolen, the thieves will take your identity."

Feblowitz's advice covers the basics: "Don't give out any information over the phone. Be aware of bogus e-mails. Be alert and beware. If it sounds too good to be true, it is."

Sometimes after people realize they've been scammed into giving their credit card info to a caller or signing a contract without reading it thoroughly or checking out a company first, they're embarrassed.

"They are ashamed. They don't want their kids to know. They don't want their friends to know," Feblowitz said.

It helps that the Seniors vs. Crime are also senior citizens and understand, Feblowitz said. People feel comfortable speaking with a peer.

The sooner a consumer contacts Seniors vs. Crime, the greater the chances are that the problem can be solved.

A good example of that is a Palm Beach County woman who bought a foreclosed house. Representatives of a company called Florida Water Testing Inc., based in Clearwater, showed up at her door and said they needed to conduct a free test on the house's water supply. They said the tests found the water was contaminated, and sold her a $2,500 filter.

When her son arrived at the house and saw the filter was something anyone could buy for less than $50, he contacted Seniors vs. Crime. The woman was advised to call her bank and stop payment on the charges, which she did.

"We found out this is going on statewide," Feblowitz said. The Florida Attorney General's Office is investigating Florida Water Testing for allegedly using false water tests.

The truth is, many times, people can prevent being victimized. If you have any questions about a contract you're considering, bring it to Seniors vs. Crime before you sign. Don't wait until after the fact to find out the company is known for ripping off customers.

Evelyn Jacobson, a Royal Palm Beach resident who volunteers at the West Palm Beach office said, "If you go to Seniors vs. Crime first, they will help you investigate the company. Some people don't know where to look on the Internet."

Many times, Seniors vs. Crime can find a reputable company for a consumer to do business with, or even legal advice.

"We're not lawyers," Feblowitz said. "But we can help them find an attorney, for example, someone who specializes in condo law."

10 TIPS

1. Don't be pushed into a hasty decision, whether you are listening to a sales pitch from a telemarketer or face to face from a salesperson.

2. Free 'prize offers' are never free. The consumer usually has to do something such as pay a fee, buy another product, pay a tax or attend a sales presentation.

3. Don't provide financial information or other personal information, such as your Social Security number or bank account information, to people who call you over the phone or come to your home to sell you something.

4. Avoid in-home sales. Go to the seller's place of business instead.

5. Research companies before doing business with them and get everything in writing. Only scammers get offended at being checked out.

6. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Don't believe the unbelieveable, such as a letter or e-mail saying you have won a large sum of money.

7. Read a contract thoroughly before signing it. Get help from someone such as Seniors vs. Crime or ask your attorney or another adviser to look over the contract.

8. Any promises made but not written into the contract usually cannot be enforced.

9. If someone says that you must respond immediately, you are probably being deceived.

10. Your strongest power as a consumer is to walk away from a deal.

11. Just because a person seems nice and honest doesn't mean that he is. Scammers wouldn't be successful if they looked and sounded like criminals.

Source: Florida Attorney General's Office

Where to turn for help

Florida attorney general

Fraud help line:

(866) 966-7226

Seniors vs. Crime, statewide hot line

(800) 203-3099

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

General consumer issues

(800) 435-7352

Seniors vs. Crime offices, a project of the Florida attorney general

Delray Beach

15127 Jog Road

Kings Point Professional Building, Suite 203

Delray Beach 33446

Open: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

(561) 865-1571

Boca Raton

1515 W. Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton 33486

Located in the Mae Volen Senior Center

Open: Tuesday, 10 a.m.- 12 p.m. (561) 395-8920

Tequesta Village Office

357 Tequesta Drive Tequesta 33469

Open: Tuesday, 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. (561) 744-4096

West Palm Beach Office

1937 Q N. Military Trail

Pine Trail Plaza 33409

Open: Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 10 a.m.-

12 a.m. (561) 683-7309

Treasure Coast Square Mall

3328 N. Federal Highway

Jensen Beach 34957

Open: Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (772) 692-7384