Keeping Seniors Safe from Identity Theft and Fraud
Originally Posted 6/3/22
I recently read this story in an online article. The story was about an elderly man who got a phone call that his adult son had a medical emergency, a terrible accident, and the money to save him was immediately needed. The kicker was there was no accident, his son was safe, and he was being scammed. This is not a unique story, just one heart-wrenching story after another. I will link that article here, and we will reference it a good deal in today's blog post.
Stories like this reach deep inside of me and break my heart. They leave behind a lingering fear. I have elderly parents in their late sixties and early seventies. They might not like me referencing them as elderly- let's say they are, in fact, senior citizens. As I write this, I know at least one scam is being attempted in their home. This won’t be the first time, and it won’t be the last in their lifetime.
There is an epidemic in the US right now. Over 40 billion dollars are stolen from Seniors every year. One in ten US adults is a victim of fraud every year. A considerable number of those cases are scams and fraud against Seniors. It's a massive problem and doesn’t seem to be diminishing. So let's talk about the why, the what, and how to protect yourself and your parents or loved ones from being victims.
Barclay Friends, a senior living company, wrote the article we will refer to most today. In their July 29, 2021, blog article, “Don’t Be Fooled By Senior Scams,” they do a fantastic job of outlining the senior fraud problem and explaining all the steps you can take to protect yourself. The article starts by asking the first questions we might ask ourselves. Why Seniors?
Barclay writes that some of the reasons scammers target seniors are:
Seniors can be lonely and more willing to communicate with scammers. (I always tell my mom to hang up when she answers and continue speaking with possible scammers.)
They can be less technically savvy- more vulnerable to the web or email-based scams.
Their judgment can be affected by dementia, memory loss, or other age-related issues.
Some seniors have amassed some wealth during their working years
They can be naive about how fraud is committed in modern times. (Fraud and scam types change all of the time.)
The Covid pandemic created an increase in fraudulent activity aimed at seniors.
To find some of the most common scams, Barclay referenced a list from the National Council on Aging in their article, “The Top Ten Financial Scams Targeting Seniors.”
See their list below:
1. Government impostor scams
Government impostors call unsuspecting victims and pretend to be from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Social Security Administration, or Medicare. They may say you have unpaid taxes and threaten arrest or deportation if you don’t pay immediately. Or they may say your Social Security or Medicare benefits are in danger of being cut off if you don’t provide personal identifying information (that can then be used to commit fraud). Government impersonators often “spoof” the actual phone numbers of the government agency or call from the same zip code (202 for Washington, DC).
2. The grandparent scam
The grandparent scam is so simple and devious because it uses one of older adults' most reliable assets, their hearts. Scammers will place a call to an older person and say something along the lines of: “Hi Grandma, do you know who this is?” When the unsuspecting grandparent guesses the grandchild's name, the scammer must sound like the scammer has established a fake identity without having done any background research. Once “in,” the fake grandchild will ask for money to solve some unexpected financial problem (overdue rent, car repairs, jail bond) and beg the grandparent not to tell anyone. Because scammers ask to be paid via gift cards or money transfers, which don’t always require identification to collect, the senior may never see that money again.
3. Medicare/health insurance scams
Every U.S. citizen or a permanent resident over age 65 qualifies for Medicare, so there is rarely any need for a scam artist to research what private health insurance company older people have to scam them out of some money. In these types of scams, perpetrators may pose as a Medicare representatives to get older people to give them their personal information, or they will provide bogus services for elderly people at makeshift mobile clinics, then bill Medicare and pocket the money. Medicare scams often follow the latest trends in medical research, such as genetic testing fraud and COVID-19 vaccines.
4. Computer tech support scams
Computer technical support scams prey on people’s lack of knowledge about computers and cybersecurity. A pop-up message or blank screen usually appears on a computer or phone, telling you your device is compromised and needs fixing. When you call the support number for help, the scammer may either request remote access to your computer and/or that you pay a fee to have it repaired. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) found that seniors who fell for this scam lost an average of $500 each to computer tech support scams in 2018.
5. Sweepstakes & lottery scams
This simple scam is one that many are familiar with, and it capitalizes on the notion that “there’s no such thing as a free lunch.” Here, scammers inform their mark that they have won a lottery or sweepstakes and need to make some sort of payment to unlock the supposed prize. Often, seniors will be sent a check that they can deposit in their bank account, knowing that while it shows up immediately, it will take a few days before the (fake) check is rejected. During that time, the criminals will quickly collect money for supposed fees or taxes on the prize, which they pocket while the victim has the “prize money” removed from his or her account as soon as the check bounces. Unlike other scams, lottery and sweepstakes scammers can sometimes collect thousands of dollars from their unsuspecting victims.
6. Robocalls/phone scams
Robocalls use sophisticated phone technology to dial large numbers of households from anywhere in the world. Robocallers use a variety of tactics to cheat their victims. Some may claim that a warranty on their car/electronic product expires, and payment is needed to renew it. One popular robocall is the “Can you hear me?” call. When the senior says yes, the scammer hangs up after recording their voice, thus obtaining a voice signature to authorize unwanted charges on items like stolen credit cards.
7. Romance scams
As more people use the Internet for dating, con artists see an opportunity to find their next victim. Romance scammers create elaborate fake profiles, often on social media, and exploit seniors’ loneliness for money. In some cases, romance scammers may (or pretend to) be overseas and request money to pay for visas, medical emergencies, and travel expenses to come to visit the U.S. Because they drag on for a long time, romance scammers can get a lot of money from a senior—the FTC found that in 2019 alone, seniors lost nearly $84 million to romance scams.
8. Internet and email fraud
While using the Internet is a great skill at any age, the slower speed of adoption among some older people makes them easier targets for automated Internet scams that are ubiquitous on the web and email programs. Pop-up browser windows simulating virus-scanning software will fool victims into either downloading a fake anti-virus program (at a substantial cost) or an actual virus that will open up whatever information is on the user’s computer to scammers. Their unfamiliarity with the less visible aspects of web browsing (firewalls and built-in virus protection, for example) makes seniors especially susceptible to such traps.
Phishing emails and text messages may look like they’re from a company you know or trust. They may look like they’re from a bank, a credit card company, or an online store. Phishing emails request your personal information, such as a log-in or Social Security number, to verify your account or ask that you update your credit card payment. Then they use that information to steal your personal and financial information.
9. Elder financial abuse
Unlike many other scams, elder financial abuse is carried out by someone a senior knows. This can be a family member, friend, power of attorney, or caregiver. These trusted individuals try and gain control of a senior’s money, assets, and credit. They also may withhold needed care to retain control over the person and their assets. Seniors with a disability or cognitive impairment (such as dementia) may be at particular risk.
10. Charity scams
Charity scams rely on seniors’ goodwill to pocket money they raise for a good cause. Some scammers may use a name similar to a legitimate charity. They often capitalize on current events, such as natural disasters, and may set up a fundraising page on a crowdsourcing site, which doesn’t always have to means to investigate fraud. Charity scammers may insist you donate immediately, sometimes with a payment method that should be a red flag—e.g., gift cards or money transfers.
Barclay outlines a few other well-known scams besides the top ten listed above.
Sweetheart scams prey on lonely seniors looking for love or companionship. Instead, seniors get a fraudster – often armed with a stolen photo of an attractive person – that can wipe them out of everything. One woman discovered that her 79-year-old father had sent $700,000 to a “woman” he’d never met.
IRS scams, whereby phony agents inform seniors that they owe years of back taxes and penalties, were the top complaint reported to the Senate Aging Committee’s Fraud Hotline in 2018.
Life insurance scammers are fake or sometimes real, albeit unscrupulous, financial agents who sell policies that they surreptitiously switch from term to whole life insurance or whose premiums increase without the senior’s knowledge.
Do Not Call scams are relatively new. Ironically, the service intended to protect people from scam calls is impersonated by scammers to tell people there Do Not Call registration has expired. They then solicit personal information to “reinstate” it. The real Do Not Call service does not call to update registration.
There are so many different opportunities to defraud seniors and the elderly. More of these scams pop up every day. So how, if it's never-ending, can you protect yourself or your family? You can do some things to protect yourself and your loved ones. Check out these tips to protect yourself from Fraud.org. You can also report a fraud on this website.
Barclay gives you the following tips:
Be aware: Stay on the news about new and upcoming scams. When your phone rings about the $500 charge to your amazon account… knowing the current scams will help protect you from falling victim.
Never give out personal information- EVER. You can confirm the information with a reputable source unless you know the caller or emailer or who the mail request is coming from. Never- not your address, social, medicare account info, cell phone account info, or Amazon account info. Nothing.
Beware of dead air, unknown senders, email links, and attachments. You can stop scams before they start just by hanging up. No one is talking about those phone calls with a few seconds of dead air, a tell-tale sign of a possible scam.
Consult with a trusted family. A trusted adult child, relative, or close friend can be your best ally against scammers. Consult them about any phone call, email, or website whose legitimacy you can’t verify.
Become a Skeptic: At the pace at which new scams pop up, being skeptical could save you hundreds of thousands of dollars. Being skeptical bout anything you don’t know to be true can be your best defense.
Of course, if you or someone you love is a victim of fraud or has been scammed, please don’t wait to report it. Don’t let pride get in the way of possibly retrieving what you've lost and helping protect others simultaneously. Check out the info below to report and learn more.
Snopes- Fact-Checking Site
Fraud.org
It's more important than ever to stay on top of the current scams and fraud stories. Let's proactively protect ourselves, our parents, and our families. Only we can do this if we do it together. For more information on Senior Scams and Fraud prevention, please see the following web articles:
How to Protect Your Parents From Common Digital Traps
How Seniors Can Stay Safe Online
If you have any questions or concerns or would like to learn more about fraud prevention and my role as Notary in the fight against fraud, please email me and reach out.
Till next time-
Jennifer K. Cooper- JKC Mobile Notary
