Helping Older Adults Prevent Scams

Every year people over the age of 60 are bilked out of $28.3 billion in financial scams.

There are people with nefarious intentions who use a variety of ways to try to scam money from older adults

Here are just a few of those ways and the steps you can take to avoid being victimized:

The Grandparent Scam

In this scam, the victim is contacted by someone posing as a grandchild or other loved one, who claims to be in a precarious situation and needs money immediately. Their name might even show up on Caller ID.

The stress of the situation and the fear for a loved one can lead people to act quickly to try to resolve the problem.

If you get a call like this there are a few steps to take:

• Do not offer any personal information like names when prompted.

• Ask the person on the other end of the phone questions only a close family member would know the answers to.

• Hang up the phone, and call the grandchild or family member back at their number to see if they are truly in some sort of trouble.

The Tech Support Scam

You get a phone call from someone claiming to be with Microsoft, an antivirus company, your bank or another company, telling you there’s been a security breach in your account and that you’re at risk of being hacked and losing your savings.

They’ll tell you to log on to your computer and follow instructions to help secure your account.

What’s really happening though is that when you’re following the instructions, the hackers are gaining access to your computer remotely. And while they have that access, they go into your bank account and then siphon off money.

In case you get a call like that, know that tech companies don’t individually call or contact people about possible breaches.

Instead, call the company directly and talk to an agent to find out if there is any unusual activity.

Government Scams

This one is similar to the tech support scam above, but in this case, it will be someone calling and claiming to be with the Internal Revenue Service, the Social Security Administration, Medicare or another government entity.

These scams can be particularly effective on vulnerable adults because the scammers can threaten that essential services or resources the victim needs will be cut off, or even legal consequences on behalf of the government, including fines, lawsuits or even prison.

Much like with the tech support scam, the government will almost certainly not call you unsolicited to deal with an issue.

This article is courtesy of Prestige Assisted Living at Visalia. To learn more about their wellness programming or community, or to book a tour, visit prestigecare.com/Visalia or call (559) 735-0828.