An elderly grandmother gets a telephone call from a man who says he is her grandson. He tells her he has gotten into a car accident in Canada and needs her to wire him money. Worried, but sensing a scam, the grandmother calls her grandson in Arizona who assures her he’s fine and nowhere near Canada.

An elderly couple open the door to a woman in her mid-20s with two children. She says her car broke down and she needs to use the phone. The couple let them in and the woman asks if she can have some water. The elderly couple oblige and lead her into the kitchen. In the meantime, another person comes into the home and heads to the back of the house. The next day, the elderly couple realize several family heirlooms are missing.

“Scams like this happen on a daily basis,” said Geneva police officer Eddie Jackson. “They target seniors because some are not aware that these scams exist.”

Jackson works with the Central Kane County Triad, which works to increase awareness of crimes against senior citizens and improve communication and understanding between seniors and law enforcement. Triad was formed in 2004 and is sponsored by the Kane County Sheriff’s Office; Geneva, Batavia, Elburn and St. Charles police departments; Geneva Township; Delnor Hospital in Geneva; and Senior Services Associates.

Triad regularly sponsors programs for senior citizens to educate them about preventive measures to protect themselves.

Often, seniors are afraid to tell their family members that they’ve been duped by a scam, Jackson said.

“A lot go unreported out of shame,” he said. “I tell a lot of seniors, ‘Please come to us, so we can let (others) know.’”

Recently, a St. Charles man was found guilty of collecting more than $540,000 from five elderly couples. Zia Ahmed, 59, was sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to multiple counts of financial exploitation of the elderly. Ahmed had been accused of convincing five elderly couples to provide him with funds for real estate purposes from 2001 to 2006. But instead of investing the funds, Ahmed used the money for personal expenses.

Batavia police officer Tim Mair said the elderly are not motivated by greed when they fall for scams, but rather the desire to provide a monetary legacy.

“They think, ‘If I win a million dollars, I can leave it to my family,’” he said.

The Canadian Lottery scam is particularly affecting the elderly community, Mair said. Older adults receive a telephone call telling them they have won a prize in the Canadian Lottery, but that they have to send thousands of dollars in processing fees before they can collect.

“I’ll get calls from people saying, ‘Could you please tell my mother she didn’t really win the Lotto in Canada and don’t send the $3,000 they want?’” Mair said. “My motto is, ‘If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.’”

People who are aware of fraud or scams that specifically target the elderly should call their local police department and report it. They can also contact Senior Citizen Services at the Geneva Township office at (630) 232-3600.

For information about Central Kane County Triad, visit www.kanecountytriad.com.