Allegheny County DA’s Office Fraud Squad member becomes victim of scam, his message to seniors

PITTSBURGH — Dick Skrinjar has spent years bringing awareness to scammers as a member of the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office Fraud Squad.

“Don’t be afraid and don’t be ashamed,” Skrinjar said.

That’s his message for fellow seniors after being a victim himself.

“We visited our son who was working in Texas, and it proves it can happen to anybody. The only time I used a credit card was to buy gasoline,” Skrinjar said.

It was on that one swipe that his information was stolen, and charges were instantly appearing on his card.

“It’s becoming more and more prevalent, more and more people are using credit cards to shop especially older people, people in their 70s and 80s it might be something brand new and using it more and more,” Skrinjar told Channel 11.

Just in Allegheny County alone, there are more than 2,000 scam claims a year and a million dollars a month in reported losses.

“Most of the seniors in Western Pennsylvania own their own home, they have pensions, social security and they have the credit cards with the ability to spend so they are targeted more than any other place in the Commonwealth,” Skrinjar said.

Many of those crimes go unreported, that’s why Skrinjar is sharing his story to encourage others to speak up. He wants them to know how to protect themselves while staying up to date on the latest fraud alerts.

“Be careful where you are using the card and if you are using it at a place like a bank machine or gas station, make sure to cover the keys so nobody can see what numbers you are putting in,” Skrinjar said.

It’s not just seniors, Northern Regional Police just put out an arrest warrant after being a victim of fraud themselves. The Chief said a Philadelphia man was able to get an officer’s pay sent to a fraudulent account now they are looking to get that money back.

“It happened to a police department at Northern Regional, it happened to me. It can happen to anybody, you just have to share the information with one another and look out for one another,” Skrinjar said.

There is a lot of information for seniors to know about how to protect yourself and what to do if you get scammed. The DA’s Office is holding a Senior Justice and Wellness Expo at Acrisure Stadium on June 18th from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

All you have to do to register is call 412-430-3416 and be over the age of 60.

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