Scammers prey on Pasadena seniors amid Hurricane Beryl power woes
PASADENA, Texas - Since Hurricane Beryl stormed into the Houston area, it seems scammers have done the same, setting their sights on unsuspecting victims. A group of senior citizens in the Pasadena area were targeted.
Scammers exploit post-Hurricane Beryl power outages to target senior citizens
As Hurricane Beryl's aftermath left Houstonians grappling with power cuts, seniors in Pasadena found themselves targeted by ruthless scammers. With the internet out, these elders turned to a reported hotline for hotel bookings – only to discover it was a sham aimed at defrauding them during their search for relief from sweltering, unlit living conditions.
When Beryl pulled the plug on power in the area last Monday nearly everyone went looking for available rooms to rent. Some senior citizens who live in an assisted living apartment complex say they were told by word of mouth, since the internet was down to call an 800-number to find and book an area hotel.
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Turns out as the seniors were trying to escape hot, dark apartments, conmen were simply trying to take their money and the number they were calling wasn't real.
"I was very hurt, very disappointed. Like you say it was devastating as it is, being in the heat, nowhere to go and I thought I had a reservation at a hotel. I booked it through what I thought was booking.com but it was not and they quoted me for two nights, one king size bed for $207. The phone number that was listed on the reservation to the hotel was incorrect. That was a red flag. When I called the number, it came up saying the cellular person or number you're trying to reach is not in service right now. So, I drove to the hotel? He said he couldn't verify my reservation. It's really, really frustrating, really ticks me off that they take advantage of seniors and everybody when it's a disaster," says Ms. Ora who was able to call her credit card company and get her money back.
She never did find an available hotel and her power finally came back on late Saturday.
If you know a senior citizen who's been a victim of financial exploitation the Texas Attorney General's Office wants to know about all senior scams. Report them here https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/consumer-protection/seniors-and-elderly/senior-scams or call Texas Adult Protective Services at 800-252-5400.