Dear Editor: Thank you for your April 20, 2019 article “Scammers in Email Pose as Pastors.” I am an officer of the Saint Andrew Avellino Friendship Club and the Broadway-Flushing Homeowners Association and I recently spoke to both groups about phone scammers.

I said that these unscrupulous individuals can “spoof” a phone number so that a false identifier will appear on a home phone and give the impression that the call is coming from a trusted friend. I said that everyone, especially the elderly, must be careful about accepting phone calls.

A spammer can know that you have a dog, the dog’s name, and even names of family members. They know this because so much is out there on Facebook. If you start talking, you may let down your guard. It is best not to answer a strange call because if you do, you may fall victim to a costly scam.

These crooks frequently target the elderly because for many who live alone, a phone call may be the only “human interaction” they will have all day. And, unfortunately, many polite elderly folks would find it very difficult to just hang up on somebody because it would be “rude.”

I asked the audiences to pass along these admonitions to their parents, friends and any elderly neighbors.

JOE BROSTEK

Flushing