Editor’s note: This monthly series highlights scams that target the senior community. Dr. Dave Long of Poland, a Youngstown State University graduate, is a retired public affairs officer with U.S. Customs and Border Protection who later worked as an Elder Scam Prevention Outreach specialist in Rochester, N.Y., before moving back to the Mahoning Valley.

Scammers are criminals who will say and do anything to steal your money. Many scams that prey on older adults originate from offshore locations, often in poorly-governed countries where police resources are scant, or just plain corrupt.

The bottom line is that whatever the scam, and the list grows with each passing day, the scammer is trying to weave a story of lies to take your money.

Current scams in Mahoning and Trumbull counties include the Jamaican Lottery scam. You get a text message, phone call or email saying you have won a big prize in the lottery, which may be cash, or a new Mercedes Benz.

The catch — before you can receive the prize, you have to send money to pay for taxes and fees. One area senior reported wiring more than $10,000 to a slick scamster to claim a shiny new car.

Another popular scam involves callers claiming to be collecting to help veterans. The caller will read a high-pressure script using key phrases like “disabled,” “healing,” “warriors” or “heroes.” You are asked to make a donation by cash or wire transfer or by gift card.

If you get any call like this, just hang up. If you do consider giving to an unknown veterans charity, take the time to go online and search for the charity’s name, along with the words “scam” or “complaint.” A few minutes on the web can help you make up your mind about giving or not.

The bottom line, these scams, and most others, will ask for you to send money by:

• Gift cards — Scammers use gift cards to buy other gift cards. Once they’ve used your gift card’s numbers to buy another card, your money is untraceable.

The AARP reports that scammers also sell gift cards online at a discount to convert the proceeds into cash.

The minute anyone asks you to buy a gift card, HANG UP. It’s a scam.

• Bitcoin– If anyone asks you to send money by buying a cryptocurrency like bitcoin, you are being scammed. Some banks now have ATM machines that dispense digital currencies. Once you’ve sent this kind of payment to a criminal, your money vanishes forever.

• Cash– As the old saying goes, “cash is king,” and still is the all-time favorite of any crook. Scammers will ask seniors to send cash wrapped in foil or newspaper, making it harder to detect in the mail or an express delivery service.

Never, ever send cash to anyone at any time for any purpose. It’s a recipe for disaster.

• P2P payments — There are digital apps out there like Venmo and Zelle that make it easy to move your money in a flash from your bank account to others.

scammers can use these electronic services to quickly pluck the life-savings from trusting seniors.

No one needs to receive your money at the speed of light. Leave these kinds of computer payment methods to the younger generations who live glued to their

cellphones.

• Wire transfer — What started 50 years ago as a safe way to get your paycheck on time has grown into a favorite method to zap your savings to scammers all over the world. American law enforcement is the best in the world — but there aren’t enough cops and airplanes to try to follow the money wired off to scammers operating all over the world.

Most older adults living in the Valley have seen it and heard it all. We all got to our golden years by working hard and making good choices, at least most of the time. Scammers are clever folks, and always on the lookout for seniors who’ve let their guard down.

When that phone rings, keep your guard up and lead with the hand you’re holding the phone in — then slam it down in their ear.

If you have a question on a possible scam, talk to a family member or call your local police department. Seniors also cancall their county Senior Services Unit for more information about scams. In Mahoning County, call Bob Schaeffer at 330-480-5078. In Trumbull County, call Don Hyde at 330-675-7096.

Protect yourself

Dave Long answers questions during a series of monthly talks on the latest scams, why scammers target seniors and how to protect personal information at 1 p.m. the fourth Thursday of every month at the Poland Township Government Center, 3339 Dobbins Road, Poland.

Call for help

To report a scam or to ask questions, seniors may call county Senior Services Units. In Mahoning County, call Bob Schaeffer at 330-480-5078. In Trumbull County, call Don Hyde at 330-675-7096.