‘Just delete it’

DENTON – These days phone scams and email deceptions are nearly daily annoyances, but not everyone becomes a victim to anonymous online predators.

Fortunately, Caroline countians have access to many security resources and cybersecurity tips at their local banks’ websites for those who are pestered by scams and phishing attacks.

But there are those who, despite their caution, fall prey to sophisticated attempts to rob them of their savings and peace of mind.

For Donna Baynard, 78, of Henderson, the potential danger became an all-too-real threat. She narrowly escaped a cybercrime – and the loss of her savings – by following her instincts and seeking immediate help from her bank.

Her recent encounter with a slick, fast-talking con man, and the three months it’s taken to protect her checking and savings accounts prompted her to share her story with others.

A Ridgely couple in their 70s has been plagued by scammers so frequently, they want to remain anonymous. This couple, whom we’ll call Mr. and Mrs. Smith, even turned off the ringer on their landline phone.

Mr. Smith said it’s “a real problem” turning off the ringer, however. “I mean, do you want to turn off your phone to get rid of these people? And so your friends and your doctors can't call you? But that's what you have to do.”

They also want their neighbors to be highly suspicious of unsolicited phone calls, even if they appear to be from banks, credit card companies, Social Security or Medicare.

A cautionary tale

Baynard’s experience started off innocently enough. She just wanted to correct a mistake.

“If you ever get a notice on your phone that you made a payment on something … and you didn't do it, do not answer it. Do not call them. Delete it. That's how they suck you in,” she said.

The retiree was prey to a “phishing” scheme in which a scammer reached out to her with a cell phone text message.

“I got a notice on my phone saying the PayPal account was thanking me for my donation of about $385,” she said. If she had any questions, she was directed to call the phone number provided. She called and said, “‘You're telling the wrong person they made a donation. I don't have a PayPal account,’ so they got me somebody (else to talk to). And he says, ‘We'll take care of it. We’ll credit it back to you.’”

“I'm thinking, ‘How can you give me a credit? I don't have a PayPal account,’” she said. The man persisted. “He kept on talking and talking and talking, and he ended up getting me (to go) into my savings account. He was slick. He kept going on and on and on. Well, your mind's going in 10,000 different directions. And as soon as I realized I gave him (my account information), I knew I was in trouble immediately.”

Things unraveled quickly. Once he had her savings account number, the con man was able to maneuver quickly into her checking account as well.

“He took all my money out of my savings and put it in my checking account. He did two cash advances on my bank credit card and put them in my checking account,” Baynard said. He directed to her to go to her bank, “‘Take that money out of your account and send it to us. … When you get to the bank, don't tell them what's going on – how much you're taking out and why.’”

“I just went along with him, got in the car – he was still on the phone – and drove to PNC Bank in Denton. I said, ‘I'm gonna put you on mute,’” she said.

Baynard explained to a bank manager how the scammer was trying to steal thousands of dollars from her. That’s when the banker looked at her computer screen, saw the transactions and froze her accounts. During the 40 minutes she met with the banker, the scammer kept calling “at least 20, 30 times,” using several other phone numbers from different locations around the country, she said. She blocked the numbers each time until the calls stopped. He even tried texting her.

Baynard and her astute banker rescued her savings. The banker opened all new accounts and transferred her money. Baynard drove to Social Security in Cambridge to give them her checking account information for direct deposit.

When she was able to begin paying her bills, suspicious activity was immediately flagged by her merchant accounts. The scammer had found a back door through her cell phone, her banker said. Now Baynard had to clean out her cell phone. She went to Verizon, picked out a new one, and was advised to transfer only her photos and phone numbers. “Everything else had to be deleted, but he’s not in this phone.” She had to reinstall apps like her Walmart and games apps.

“And I even changed my email address because he had that, too,” Baynard said. “I just didn't want him in any way getting into anything.”

Don’t take the bait

The Smiths fell prey to two scammers who took advantage of Mrs. Smith’s dementia.

About four years ago, Mr. Smith heard his wife talking to someone with a foreign accent. The scammer told her he was from Microsoft and said, “I see you’re having problems with your computer, and I can help clear it up.” She allowed him access to their computer, and thus he was able to see and potentially collect all the information in it – including their bank account numbers.

Complicating their situation was the fact that the software they were asked to download was actually legitimate, according to the computer expert they hired to delete the software.

Once Mr. Smith realized his wife had downloaded the software, he immediately called their bank in Easton. He hopped in the car to sit down with the bank manager, freeze the accounts and open new ones. Because of his quick response, Mr. Smith was able to avert a financial disaster.

Last year, another scammer convinced Mrs. Smith to accept an offer for free knee braces and Medicare would be billed. The flimsy braces did arrive in the mail, but Medicare was billed a whopping $2,113, and paid $1,400. Mr. Smith’s Medicare supplemental insurance policy paid a portion of the bill. He filed a Medicare fraud claim, which took over a year to process.

Mr. Smith’s advice is to simply avoid answering the phone, if possible – especially if you don’t have caller ID. He pays extra for the service through Consumer Cellular. But if you do answer the phone, listen first, he said. “If you answer the phone, and they say nothing or a lot of people talking in the background, it’s a scammer,” he said.

“Don’t give any information over the phone,” Mr. Smith said. 

Baynard is more cautious than ever, and wants others to learn from her “nightmare.”

“If it says “potential spam” on my phone, I don't even answer,” she said. “(Experts) tell you, don't even answer them anymore. Don't say ‘yes’ to anything, because … they have your voice saying ‘yes.’’’

“Do not answer any phone number that you do not recognize,” she said. “Let it go to voicemail. They will leave you a message if it's really legit; if it's not legit, delete it off your phone. Mark it as spam and it gets blocked, so they can't call you back on that number anymore.”

Baynard established extra security measures for her bank accounts. She insists on paper statements now. And she set up a running ledger in a 3-ring binder to keep a log of each financial transaction and checks them against her bank accounts daily. If something doesn’t look right, she calls her local PNC branch. Her documents do not end up in the trash now; instead, she shreds them.

Like every bank that does business in Caroline County, PNC has an online Security & Privacy Center “designed to provide useful resources to help customers recognize the signs of, and protect themselves from, fraud and other cyber risks.”

Shore United Bank’s website has further information on elder financial exploitation. Each bank with branches in Caroline County has valuable information for seniors and their loved ones, so they can protect themselves from cyber criminals.

As Baynard herself learned, scammers “prey on senior citizens. I hear more and more people say, ‘Oh, that happened to me’” she said.

Mr. Smith is dismayed by the number of people who are willing to prey on vulnerable seniors. “How do they find so many people willing to be dishonest?” he said.

Phishing scams are widespread

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s 2024 Internet Crime Report, a new record for losses was set “totally a staggering $16.6 billion. … As a group, those over the age of 60 suffered the most losses and submitted the most complaints” to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.

Caroline County Sheriff Donald Baker says these “phishing scams” are commonplace and can be avoided by not clicking on messages or links from unknown senders.

Baker said cell phones are basically portable computers scammers scheme to access. It’s important to remember that banks will not text their customers to get information from them, he said.

The same goes for law enforcement agencies. Baker said his office hears from folks saying that they’ve gotten a notice that they failed to pay a fine. Those texts and emails are phony.

More disturbing are phone calls from con men who impersonate actual officers whose names they’ve seen on law enforcement agency social media pages. They will mention warrants, fines, parking tickets – any reason to get the potential victim to send money to the scammer.

“Just delete it,” Baker said. “You don't want to open any links that are in (a text message), because they could get access to information on your phone. A lot of people have apps now with bank account information and things like that, so you don't want to to allow people to have access to that stuff on your phone.”

A technique called “spoofing” disguises the actual originating phone numbers, substituting a fake local number, enticing people to answer it. Or they call from what appears to be the number of, say, your local bank. “You still have to call (the bank) and verify the bank has actually called you,” Baker said.

Banks issue security alerts to customers, so it’s important to read them and heed the timely advice.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is yet another tool that scammers use to create deceptive messages.

“(Using AI), they can actually sound like a family member, so you want to make sure that you are absolutely verifying the information. If they say, ‘I'm your long-lost aunt, and I'm in jail in North Carolina, and I need bail money,’ you need to call somebody and verify that they're actually in jail. ‘Where are you in jail? (you need to ask), and then you call that jail. Same thing with the local police department. If they say they have a warrant for your arrest, you need to call the local police department.”

Finally, look closely at email addresses, even from seemingly legitimate entities like Apple or Venmo, to make sure they’re legitimate.

If you’re still not sure, ask a “digital native,” like a child or grandchild for advice. Often, they are a bit more savvy about online scams. Call your bank, check with law enforcement or simply delete the email or text message. In the world of cybersecurity, better safe than sorry is good advice.