Vermont Law School Schweitzer Fellow Warns Area Senior Citizens Against Scams
April 18, 2009
by Anne Galloway, correspondent
VLS Schweitzer Fellow Brian Jones explains scams, cons, and fraud to seniors at the Mascoma Senior Center in Canaan, N.H.
At a talk at the Mascoma Senior Center in Canaan, N.H., on March 31, Vermont Law School Schweitzer Fellow Brian Jones spoke about the many ways in which con men artists swindle money from an unsuspecting public. About a dozen local residents listened intently to Jones’s recommendations for inhibiting grifters.
He told them never to give personal financial information over the phone to fund-raising solicitors or telemarketers because scammers will often slightly change the name of a reputable nonprofit in order to obtain social security and banking numbers. Jones said whenever solicitors call, even if they’re from a favorite charity, it’s best to ask them to send information in the mail.
Dee Birkrem of Canaan piped up: “You can always say I’m sorry, I don’t respond to telephone solicitations.” Jones nodded in assent and said, “Charities understand that, and it’s a good way to avoid feeling that you’re being rude.”
Scam artists don’t ask for information forcefully; they ask skillfully, Jones said. They often pretend to be a person in a position of authority – a policeman, a bank employee, or even a family member—and then persuade their victims to provide them with personal information right away.
I see the legal framework not only as a system of enforcement, but also as a system of protection."~ Brian Jones ’10
Jones told the group that anyone can be scammed and that such criminal activity should be reported to police. “People feel ashamed and guilty; they feel they should have known better,” Jones said. “But these are people who are good at what they do. Anybody can fall prey to this.”
One resident told the group about a relative who was subjected to a common, get-rich-quick scheme. Bill MacDonald of Canaan said his daughter-in-law received a check in the mail that turned out to be a fake; she thought it was suspicious and reported it to the bank and to police.
Jones said that was the right thing to do. Scammers hope recipients will deposit the checks, he said, so that they can obtain the victim’s banking information and withdraw money from accounts.
“If it seems too good to be true, it probably is,” he said. “What I want you to take away from this is that there are so many different scams. People will try something until it stops working.”
Jones hopes that his tips for avoiding such pitfalls will protect elderly residents from undue financial hardship and heartache.
Brian Jones took a roundabout route to law school. He didn’t go straight to college after high school; instead, he took a job as a guard at the maximum security prison near Pensacola, Fla., where he grew up.
Inside the 1,200-inmate facility, Jones learned how to help prisoners talk through conflicts, and in the process of becoming a de facto mediator he learned something about himself, too: He enjoyed helping people.
Jones, a corrections officer turned police detective turned law student, has spent the past year giving his presentation at senior centers operated by the Grafton County Senior Citizens' Council.
It was this sense of public service that motivated Jones to pursue a career in law enforcement, first as a community police officer and then as a detective ferreting out drug dealers and other criminals in the toughest neighborhoods in Pensacola. He eventually obtained three academic degrees: associate’s and bachelor’s degrees in criminal justice and a master’s degree in administration.
Though Jones felt that detective work was worthwhile, he was frustrated that he couldn’t do more to address the underlying issues driving crime in the city. That’s when he decided a juris doctorate would enable him to use the law more effectively as a tool for protecting citizens.
“I felt I was in a limited role as a police officer as to the kinds of services I could provide,” Jones said. “I was working in areas where I didn’t feel I was making a difference. The problems are underlying and the police have a reactive function. I see the legal framework not only as a system of enforcement, but also as a system of protection.”
Jones chose Vermont Law School because of its demonstrated commitment to public service, and when he arrived on campus in the fall of 2007 he looked for a way to continue contributing to the local community. Last spring, he found his opportunity: Through the Law School, he was awarded an Albert Schweitzer Fellowship for a proposal to help elderly residents in the Upper Valley learn how to protect themselves from scam artists.
Since then, he has given 15 presentations at senior centers in New Hampshire. The fellowship awards $2,000 to law students who wish to launch yearlong public service projects. Typically, five VLS students receive the stipend, and each fellow devotes 200 hours to a community project over the course of a year. “I wouldn’t be able to do this work without the Schweitzer fellowship,” Jones said.
In addition to writing a regular column about scam prevention tips for the Connecticut Valley Spectator, Jones will serve as an intern at the Chittenden County State’s Attorney’s office in Burlington. He graduates from Vermont Law School in 2010.
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