Postal Worker Has 'Uneasy Feeling' As Elderly Man Tries To Send Package So He Takes Action

Oct 30, 2021

In the digital age, it seems like scammers are everywhere. Whether it’s an email asking for your personal information or a suspicious caller posing as someone you know, it’s hard to know what’s a scam and what’s not — especially for seniors.

That was certainly the case for one Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, resident who nearly sent $4,000 in cash to a scammer back in Dec. 2018. According to the local outlet WSMV Nashville, the older man, who preferred to remain anonymous, received a phone call from someone who said he was a lawyer for one of his relatives. The lawyer then went on to say that his relative was in jail and in need of cash to post bail.

The 88-year-old man wanted to help, and so he got the money together and headed to UPS to ship the cash. Luckily, Myro Kuzmyn, the store’s owner, could sense that something was wrong.

Kuzmyn, who processes between 60 and 80 packages a day, began to ask questions.

“Something just did not feel right about this transaction,” Kuzmyn told the local outlet WKRN. “He seemed to be very much so instructed in shipping the contents.”

Kuymzn found out that the 88-year-old was instructed to make sure the package arrived before 8 a.m. the next day. What’s more, the man didn’t know who he was sending the $4,000 to — he just had an address. In an interview with WSMV Nashville, Kuzmyn said:

"When I asked the customer if he knew this individual, he kind of gave a little pause and also said, 'not quite.'"  

He added that he had an "uneasy feeling" about the transaction. “You’re usually sending documents to an individual you know or maybe an attorney or somebody that represents you,” Kuzmyn explained. “My gut feeling was telling me that I needed to contact the authorities.” And that’s exactly what Kuzmyn did.

“It was obvious that it was a true scam attempt,” said Captain Tyler Chandler with Mt. Juliet Police Department in an interview with WKRN.

“The government doesn’t operate that way,” Chandler added, noting that it’s common for scammers to target the elderly. “Attorneys don’t operate that way. But scammers do.”

According to WSMV Nashville, there were three irregularities that made Kuzmyn think twice about the package. First of all, it didn’t look like a document, which is what the older man claimed to be sending. Secondly, the older man wasn’t able to name a recipient. And finally, the specific requested arrival time was strange, too. In the end, Kuzmyn said that he’s “definitely glad to be part of the solution.”

“To see someone taken advantage of like this is just heartbreaking,” he added.

“Elder fraud,” as the FBI calls it, is so common that the law enforcement agency has dedicated an entire section of its website to it. The FBI claims that millions of elderly Americans fall for such scams and schemes every year. Some common scams include criminals posing as romantic interests, tech support agents, grandchildren and government employees. The criminals gain the trust of their victims and tend to communicate with them directly via telephone, computer and through the mail, as well as indirectly through the TV and radio.  

Once they have a successful scam going, the criminals are likely to keep the scheme running in the hope of major financial gain. Since seniors are generally more trusting and polite, they are often the main targets of such scams. Furthermore, they tend to have savings, are homeowners and also have good credit, which makes them even more attractive to criminals. They also might be less likely to report fraud as they don't know how or they might be too ashamed to go to the authorities if they are scammed.

One tip that the FBI gives elderly Americans is to “resist the pressure to act quickly.”

“Scammers create a sense of urgency to produce fear and lure victims into immediate action. Call the police immediately if you feel there is a danger to yourself or a loved one,” the FBI adds.

Other tips they offer in protecting oneself include: recognizing scam attempts and ceasing contact with the perpetrators; searching online for the contact information you've been given as other people might have shared their details already; and being cautious of unsolicited calls, mail and door-to-door services.

They also highlight a number of tips related to computer use, such as ensuring your computer's anti-virus and security software are up to date; disconnecting from the internet and shutting down your device if you encounter a pop-up message or locked screen; and being careful of what you download online.

Targets of elder fraud can report incidents to the FBI, with the more details you can remember, the better. 

Have you ever been a victim of fraud or a scam? Has someone you know? Be sure to pass this story on to raise awareness.