By Ellen Murray

Have you ever received a telephone call in which you’ve been told you’ve won $50,000? And that all you need to do to receive your winnings is to wire money to cover the insurance costs?

“If it smells like a rat, it probably is a rat,” said Sgt. Tom Connelly, supervisor and chief investigator of financial crimes at the Los Altos Police Department.

Connelly said seniors are an easy target for a new kind of fiduciary criminal - the one who uses high-tech or confidence scams to take your money, rather than the old-style purse snatching or burglary.

“There are so many scams out there that the Santa Clara DA’s department even has two people specifically assigned to the Elder Abuse Unit to handle fiduciary fraud,” Connelly said.

Ruth Koehler, treasurer of the Los Altos Senior Center Board of Directors, confirmed Connelly’s report. Koehler regularly invites Crime Prevention Officer Rod Sayre to talk to seniors about “too good to be true” offers and the people who come door-to-door, eager to take advantage of the elderly.

“People who live alone or are isolated are more of a target for unsavory practices,” Koehler said. “They’re glad to talk to suspicious characters.”

Connelly noted some of the more common scams in the Los Altos area, among the “thousands of scams” that are around. The roofing or home repair scam is a big one right now, he said. “People knock on your door, soliciting work. Maybe they’ll say they will clean out your gutters for $40 - and then while they’re up on the roof, they’ll find holes or loose shingles which will cost anywhere from $800 to $5,000 to replace.

“They con the elderly by saying they can do the treatment right then, and they’ll use something like silver spray or maybe even go up on the roof and do nothing - then ask for a check and cash it before the person realizes what has happened,” Connelly said.

Another common scam is the driveway repair scam, which involves solicitors who say they can treat your asphalt. “They spread motor oil on it, take your money and run,” Connelly said.

Connelly cautioned seniors not to contract with door-to-door solicitors. “Anyone who’s a bona fide contractor should be able to show a license and be registered with the state.”

Telephone call scams are also on the increase. The victim learns that he is a “winner” - of amounts ranging from $50 to $50,000 - and all he has to do is wire some money through Western Union to cover the insurance for sending it. “The telephone solicitor will tell the victim exactly how to send the money. Once he’s got it, you’ve lost it,” said Connelly.

There are a variety of other common scams, including the old-fashioned method of door-to-door workers bringing children along to distract the elderly, then loading up on cash and jewelry and disappearing.

And then there are operators who hit everyone, not just the elderly, with e-mail scams. These include the Nigerian “4-1-9″ money scam, in which the con artist offers a sizable award for help in “rescuing” money from a seized bank account or something similar.

To check whether an e-mail is a hoax, logon to www.korova.com/virus/hoax.htm or hoaxbusters.ciac.org/HoaxBustersHome.html.

Connelly’s advice on dealing with predators is simple:

Don’t let strangers into your house

There are no “get rich quick” opportunities

If you feel you’ve been the victim of these or other scams, call Connelly at the Los Altos Police Department, 948-8223, ext. 111.