By Marta Street, Certified Senior Advisor at Concierge Care Advisors
I was reading an article the other day about how seniors are getting scammed out of billions of dollars a year. There are many avenues that criminals are using to trap vulnerable adults into giving away their money. There are just as many ways these scammers use to gain your personal information.
I personally know of a lady who got a call from someone claiming to be a grandson and said he
needed a large amount of money to bail him out of jail. This senior person had some cognitive
decline and fell for it, losing more than $10,000. This money was not able to be recovered.
I personally fell for a scam by using eBay selling an item. They wanted me to get gift cards for
them. In my defense, there was a lot going on at the time, and I was very distracted. Lucky for
me, the loss was only $500, it could have been much worse. Any of us can fall for it. Stay
Aware!
Another deceptive method these folks use is email scams, saying that they are charging you for
a tech service and need to verify your payment information. DON’T EVER GIVE AWAY YOUR
BANKING OR SOCIAL SECURITY INFORMATION.
Pop up ads on the internet are another deceitful way for hackers to gain your personal
information. There are so many ways these criminals can convince you that you can get rich
quickly if you just give us money. Shady investors can also take you to the cleaners. If you are
going to work with an unknown financial/investment planner, make sure they can be vetted as
legit. Smooth talkers make vulnerable people easy prey. Remember, if it sounds too good to be
true… it can likely be a scam.
How can we all protect ourselves?
Don’t open an email from a source you do not recognize. Also, be very careful when
you are looking at web sites. The web address can be a clue that it is not a legitimate
site.
Common things to look for:
• Misspelled words in the URL address
• Web address doesn’t start with HTTPS
• Look for a padlock symbol. This shows that it is a secure site
• Look at the actual design of the page. Is the logo true or are there discrepancies?
• Check reviews and if you can, look at the age of the site. If it is new, or there are no
reviews, this could be a red flag
• Be aware of pop-up ads. A very common one looks like it is coming from Microsoft, and
you have a virus, and you need to contact customer support. They will get access to
your computer and access personal information.
• Fake USPS delivery notices are becoming very popular as well. It will say that they
have a package for you that they can’t deliver and want you to confirm your personal
information. NO GOVERNMENT AGENCY WILL ASK YOU FOR PERSONAL
INFORMATION ONLINE OR ON THE PHONE.
• Do not answer calls from numbers you do not recognize. If it is important, they will leave
a message. There are stories that your voice is recorded, and it can be used to access
your banking information and other things
• When you are asked your name, be careful not to use the words yes and no.
These are only a few samples of ways we all are at risk of being taken advantage of. Listen to
your gut; if it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it.
