Taxpayers who itemize know that Monday is the last day to secure a deduction for 2018 by donating to charity. Unfortunately, con artists know that, too.
"It's just amazing how cunning they are," Warren Searls says. Phony federal agents and malicious phishers assail the email and phone accounts of this busy resident of Hot Springs Village -- as they do everyone who relies on cellphones, email or U.S. mail. But as a volunteer with AARP who -- among other contributions -- has helped Arkansans age 50 and older wise up to thwart fraudsters, Searls knows where to look for guidance.
The websites charitywatch.org and charitynavigator.org are helpful, he says, because some legally registered charities take money without serving a cause. And he especially recommends AARP's Fraud Watch Network at aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork.
The Fraud Watch Network hotline connects callers with volunteers who are trained to spot frauds and counsel victims. The number is (877) 908-3360. The website also has a map where network members report scams active in Arkansas -- on Christmas Eve, the notices included callers pretending to be with Verizon customer service asking for account and PIN numbers to release a rebate.
A sense of urgency -- that there's a deadline for giving, for instance -- is one of the tools AARP says con artists use to nudge victims "under the ether" -- into an off-balance mindset that makes them easier to fleece. So don't be frantic for that tax deduction. Real charities can wait.
Other advice the network highlights for avoiding charity scams:
• Don't click on links in unsolicited email, Facebook or Twitter fundraising messages.
• Go to the charity's official website. Type the address correctly -- phony sites change one detail, like dot-com or dot-org.
• Don't give your Social Security number, date of birth or bank account number to anyone soliciting a donation.
• Do not give cash, gift cards or wire transfers. Credit cards and checks are safer.
• Don't assume appeals on social media or crowdfunding sites are legitimate.
Searls says veterans are a particular target for fraud, and this is a big problem in Arkansas where one in every 10 people is a military vet. There are scams aimed at the veteran or caregivers, and ill-managed charities that target patriots who care about veterans.
"Nearly half of Arkansas' 225,118 veterans -- 46 percent -- are 65 or older, and 48,347 receive disability benefits," Searls says.
Scams that target veterans take advantage of how confusing obtaining their benefits can be. Case in point: the Veterans Choice Program, which has a phone number veterans call to find out if they are eligible to use approved health care providers outside of the Veterans Affairs system. That number is (866) 606-8198. Con artists use similar numbers that ask for credit card numbers -- one digit will be different, or they'll use 800 instead of 866.
Searls ("rhymes with 'pearls,'" he says) retired in 1990 at Dallas after a career spent mostly in government service and mostly as a master trainer of food safety managers and supervisors for U.S. Department of Agriculture agencies. He spent a few years as vice president and treasurer of an insurance company and working for himself, too. He traveled constantly for work, to both coasts, explaining complicated topics in front of groups large or small, and educating lawmakers.
He and his wife, Bari, moved to Hot Springs Village in 2000, lured by golf and fishing -- "which I've done neither one. Well, I played golf for a time and did a little fishing," he says. "But my son moved to Hot Springs and I started volunteering in the Village a good little bit.
"And then I discovered AARP."
Or rather, he discovered volunteering with AARP. "I am 83 years old and have been a member of AARP for 30 years," he says, but "like everybody else" he had thought it was just about discounts or deals on insurance.
About a decade ago, the couple happened to attend an AARP-sponsored event in Hot Springs, and he was so impressed by the quality of the presentation that he approached an organizer -- then-state director Maria Reynolds-Diaz -- to ask if he could help. She recruited him then and there, but it was Lou Tobian, associate state director of outreach and education, who really hooked him by assigning him to help lead the then-new Fraud Watch Network in Arkansas.
"Now, I am the AARP Arkansas lead volunteer for advocacy and a member of the AARP Arkansas Executive Council. I work closely with Vanessa Nehus, associate state director of advocacy. Also, I work closely with and am inspired by Herb Sanderson, state director, and Charlie Wagener, volunteer president of AARP Arkansas, as well as numerous other AARP Arkansas volunteers."
Searls donates much of his time to informing Arkansans and their lawmakers about matters that affect senior citizens. His education included law school, and he enjoys working with lawmakers.
"Through the AARP Veterans, Military and Their Families initiative and the Arkansas Veterans Team, the state office is serving as a sounding board and an advocate for those who have served the country," he says. "AARP Arkansas has protected veterans from fraud and plans to press state lawmakers for a caregiver tax credit when they reconvene in 2019."
AARP Arkansas awarded him its Andrus Award for Community Service in October. Named for the national nonprofit's co-founder, Ethel Percy Andrus (a retired teacher), the honor is the organization's most prestigious.
"Who makes a good volunteer?" he asks. "Everyone has life experiences and skills to share. Whether you have five minutes or five hours there is a volunteer opportunity waiting for you."
He has two copies of the award and is placing one at Unitarian Universalist Church in Hot Springs Village, where he also volunteers, leading topical discussions called "the 11:15s," for the time of day they meet. He also works with a church education team on small-group ministry and other projects, and says the church helps him with his work for AARP and should share in his honor.
"It's fun," he says. "I don't do as much as I would like to do, but I do as much as I can."
High Profile on 12/30/2018