Los Alamos Police Det. Ryan Wolking addresses seniors during lunch Sept. 13 at the White Rock Senior Center. Photo by Maire O’Neill/ladailypost.com

White Rock resident Bill Norman, right, chats with Det. Ryan Wolking Sept. 13 at the White Rock Senior Center. Photo by Maire O’Neill/ladailypost.com

 Det. Ryan Wolking answers questions following his presentation on recognizing scams, defeating scammers and protection from scams Sept. 13  at the White Rock Senior Center. Photo by Maire O’Neill/ladailypost.com

Los Alamos Police Det. Ryan Wolking explained how to recognize a scam, defeat the scammer and protect against being scammed to a large crowd during lunch Sept. 13 at the White Rock Senior Center.

Using the acronym ATTACK, he said to avoid scams:

• Always be suspicious
• Think – too good to be true?
• Tell the scammer to stop
• Ask for help
• Call police
• Know Your Options

Wolking discussed scam telephone calls such as those from people representing themselves as being from the Internal Revenue Service, law enforcement agencies or someone saying a family member is in trouble or a grandchild is stuck at an airport. He said all these types of calls are from people who are trying to guide you toward giving them money.

Wolking stressed that the IRS and law enforcement agencies will never call people to tell them they owe money or have a warrant or a violation. He also warned about scam phone calls advising people that they have won money and have to pay taxes on their winnings or a transfer fee.

Giving people who come to your door information for surveys or questionnaires is not a good idea, Wolking said. He warned about people selling health care products or cable television and Internet services. He advised seniors to avoid making a purchase or giving money to anyone at their front door but recommended getting a business card and checking on them. Door-to-door salespersons are supposed to obtain permits from Los Alamos County, Wolking said, but they don’t always do so. He suggested checking with the County’s 311 line or calling LAPD if people have concerns.

Wolking also addressed email or mail scams such as “the Nigerian prince who is just dying to give you his money”. He advised against giving personal information to anyone who requests it.

He also warned about scamming by family members or people you believe are your friends. He said to watch for warning signs such as people who always seem to have some kind of problem such as car trouble, police trouble, spouse trouble, don’t have a job or can’t hold a job, have no friends, no romance and owe money. He outlined some of the signs of drug use including physical signs and always having a sob story, which involves needing money.

Wolking advised people to keep cash, checks, bank information, etc., locked away when health care workers and others are in their homes. He said many are honest and hardworking but that he and other LAPD detectives have had cases in the area involving people who stole cash, jewelry and identities from local residents and even used credit card applications and requested replacement debit cards, which they intercepted when they arrived at the homes.

Wolking answered questions about scam calls from what appear to be local numbers and scammers claiming to be calling about a problem with the resident’s computer. He was asked about panhandlers and people asking for gas money. He responded that as a member of law enforcement he can be biased against giving money to panhandlers because of cases he has worked and his feeling that it is also drug-related. He said it’s a personal decidion but that buying them gas, food, etc., is a better and safer option than providng cash. He suggested if people want to give money to a charity they should initiate the giving themselves.

Wolking also warned seniors against being scammed by people they hire to do work for them and to beware of projects that balloon in price, suggesting that they get a second opinion and make sure the person doing the work is legitimate.

Wolking told seniors to ask a friend, a staff member at the senior center, their doctor or a police officer if they are wondering whether something or someone is legitimate. He assured them that any police officer, on or off duty would be happy to talk to them. He told them that if they were concerned about something like a ticket or a citation to ask a police officer about it and that the officer would help them take care of it. He drew some chuckles from the crowd when he said the police don’t want to arrest seniors.

“The nicest way I can put it is we don’t want to arrest you. We will help you any way we can,” he said and went on to advise people to call the LAPD Dispatch non-emergency number at 505.662.8222.

“Many times the dispatcher can answer your question but if you need to talk to a police officer, they will make sure you can,” Wolking said.

Wolking gave the same presentation Sept. 14 at the Betty Ehart Senior Center in Los Alamos.