MENTOR, Ohio — Police in Mentor report scams targeting seniors are at an all-time high.
Good Morning Cleveland anchor Mike Brookbank spoke to Lt. Rich Slovenkay about the increase.
Slovenkay said detectives receive scam reports two to three times each week.
One Mentor woman lost more than $660,000 in a cryptocurrency scam. The scheme started with an unsolicited text message.
"The person who sent that text developed a friendship with that person, earned their trust and convinced that victim to invest in their fraudulent cryptocurrency scheme, and she lost a large amount of money," said Slovenkay.
Investment scams, including those involving cryptocurrency, are the riskiest, according to a new report from the Better Business Bureau.
Slovenkay said the best way to protect yourself is to know the signs of a scam.
"If someone's calling with a sense of urgency and saying you have to act right now and keeping you on the phone, they have to know that's a red flag and to hang up and verify this information before they send any money anywhere," said Slovenkay.
If you or someone you know is impacted by a scam, report the incident immediately. While recovering money is rare, early reporting increases the odds.
