To the editor:

Florida has the highest rate of identity theft in all of the 50 states. The top cities with the highest rate of identity theft includes Miami, Naples, Fort Myers and Cape Coral.

Scammers know what we want – security, love and personal value. They also seem to know the older we get the more we want peace of mind. To provide it they use sweet talk, promising problem solutions, such as “immediate and necessary” repairs to our living quarters or money for our shrinking nest eggs.

The scammers’ goal is to cause us to think with emotion instead of using good sense. Typical “come-ons” include: “You have just won a large sum of money and we urgently need your Social Security number and bank information,” or “You have won a free medical alert device. Now you can relax about your personal safety.”

Another favorite is, “Grandma, please send me money so I can get out of jail.”

The natural aging process can cause changes in the brain that benefit scammers. These changes often occur around the mid-60s. At this age, the processing of information slows. This may cause us to fall for scams urging us to act immediately.

Scammers use tactics relying on either an erosion of memory or an inability to focus our attention.

So beware of scam artists, and just say no or hang up the phone.

Jane Dickinson

Lehigh Acres