CARROLL, Iowa — Each year, more and more people fall victim to a variety of schemes — and many are designed to target seniors.
Lisa Irlbeck has been educating the Carroll community on financial literacy for years. As Availa Bank's marketing and community outreach director, she has long worked to ensure that the bank's customers are knowledgeable about finances.
But with senior citizens making up nearly one-fifth of Carroll County's population, she recently set out to educate the elderly on this pressing issue alongside members of a newly-formed coalition in town.
"We went out to assisted living, independent living , and some of the elderly facilities, and we would do a fraud presentation," Irlbeck said.
What Irlbeck discovered during these presentations was alarming.
"Everybody had been touched by those fraud attempts," she said.
Seniors are just part of a national trend – FBI statistics show that in 2022, more than 88,000 people over 60 years old had fallen victim to scams, and 6% of those victims lost over $100,000.
But why is this demographic falling victim more often than others?
"They're very trusting. That generation is very trusting," said coalition member Jerry Wordekemper.
"They prey on elderly because a lot of times elderly people are looking for someone to talk to. They're a little bit lonely in some of the facilities," Irlbeck said.
To actively combat the problem, they combined forces with law enforcement, bankers, media members and agency workers to create the Carroll County Fraud Coalition.
Together, they design educational programs.
Their solution? STOP, a simple acronym they share in all of their presentations.
- Stop: Think about letting calls from unknown numbers go to voice-mail.
- Think: Is the person on the other line making sense?
- Observe: Are they asking for unusual payment methods or private information?
- Pause: If someone is being pushy or frantic, they may just be trying to scare you. Don't let your emotions run high.
"Every fraud has an emotional hook and what that does they're telling you 'Oh, your grandson is in jail,' so there's the emotion right there or, 'Oh, you won the lottery.' Right there, there is more emotion," Irlbeck said.
While scam callers and fradulent schemes are not a new trend, the Carroll community is working hard to help those most vulnerable to them.
If you receive a scam call, the FCC recommends you register complaints through its website. Availa Bank’s education outreach page also includes a form for any organizations interested in anti-fraud presentations.