Posted: 8/30/05
Elderly woman thwarts scam artist
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
A Caledonia woman had a scary encounter with a scam artist on August 22.
The 80-year-old woman asked that she not be identified in this article because she feels vulnerable.
She received a call that Monday morning from a worker from the ìP.A.G. Company.î The worker said that the company had found the womanís bank account number ìfloating aroundî on the internet. The worker not only had the number, she also had the last check number that the Caledonia woman had written.
ìThatís when my knees got weak,î she said. The check was written to pharmacy in La Crosse for a prescription.
The scam artist then said she would take the womanís number off the internet and clear all the solicitation calls. The scammer said the company would send her $500 worth of gift certificates and charge her $320.
After the call, the woman went to Merchantís Bank in Caledonia and closed her account.
She also called the pharmacy and was told that they would pursue it from their end. The pharmacist told her to talk to the police, she did.
ìI imagine this is some way theyíre scamming the older people,î the woman said.
Caledonia Police chief Randy Shefelbine followed up on the complaint by calling the number that the woman was given. He got a person working at a switchboard. The operator would not connect Shefelbine to the ìP.A.G. Company,î although he finally did give Shefelbine an address.
ìJust the run-around,î Shefelbine said in describing the conversation.
Shefelbine said the company was claiming to offer the woman discount medication. He figures the scam was that they would use the womanís account number to take money directly from the account.
Shefelbine plans to write to the company or get a direct phone number to find out how they got the womanís checking information.
ìShe did the right thing,î he said of her action.
Bank security is good
Todd Roesler, president of Merchantís Bank in Caledonia, didnít know how they got the womanís checking account number and last check number.
Bank security is very tight, he said, and it is difficult to forge other checks because the coding at the bottom of a check uses a type of ink that is difficult for forgers to duplicate.
Banks will never inquire for things like your social security number, which this scam artist did, Roesler said. ìThat private information is never asked by a financial institution,î he said.
The woman did the right thing in not divulging any information to the scam artist, and then notifying the bank, he added.
Caledonia Argus
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Caledonia, MN 55921-0227
507/724-3475
E-Mail: editor.argus@ecm-inc.com