Scams that target seniors have increased in the last year or so. Right now there are a variety of new scams targeting seniors that are more sophisticated than ever. But there are some things that seniors can do to stay safe. Getting home care is one of the best ways for seniors to protect themselves against scams. With home care seniors will be able to have someone else answer the phone or ask if something seems suspicious. Home care can help seniors avoid scams like these:

Wrong Number Scams

In this increasingly common scam seniors will receive a text from a number they don’t recognize talking about something urgent like a wedding, a party, or a meeting. When the senior texts back that they have the wrong number the scammer will start engaging in conversation and may start sending links that will trick the senior into giving up their personal or financial information. Then the person texting will use that information to steal from that senior. To avoid this seniors should just delete texts and block numbers they don’t recognize.

Business Relationship Scams

Not that seniors are getting wise to romance scams the scammers are trying business relationship scams. They will approach seniors by messaging them on LinkedIn or professional sites and claim to be looking for a mentor or a business teacher. They will try to build a relationship with a senior over a shared job or industry. Often they claim to have gone to the same college as the senior, because all of that senior’s information will be in their professional profile or public resume. Then they will start asking for money for various things or asking for things like gift card that they can use to get a new phone, a new computer, or clothes for a job interview.

One Time Passcode Scams

Scammers have figured out how to get around the two-factor authentication that is designed to help people safe from scams. A scammer will try to log into your account, which will trigger the two-factor authentication. Then they will text or call the senior who owns the account claiming to be from the bank. They will say they need that senior to verify the passcode that was texted or emailed to them. When the senior gives them the code they are able to log into that senior’s account and take their money. Seniors should never give out codes or other information other the phone when someone calls them. If they are concerned about their account security they should call their bank directly.

Package Delivery Scams

In this scam a senior may get a text from someone saying they are delivering a package, groceries, or food and ask where the house is. When the senior gives them the address and direction they can use that information to steal that senior’s identity or wait until that senior does get something delivered and steal it. Seniors should never give out their address to strangers.

If you or an aging loved one is considering home care in Danville, CA, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Walnut Creek. (925) 203-3039.

The post 4 Scams That are Targeting Seniors Right Now appeared first on Golden Heart East Bay.

When seniors are aging at home, there is a risk that they will become the victims of a scam. Many seniors fall for scams that are cleverly designed to trick them into giving up their personal information, bank account information, or credit card information. Scammers have created very sophisticated scams that anyone could fall for, especially seniors who may not be very tech savvy. If your senior loved one is the victim of a scam they may not realize it, or they may be too embarrassed to tell you about it. But if you see any of these four signs you should act as if your senior loved one has been scammed and take action immediately to try and mitigate the financial damage:

Money Disappearing

If you are a signer on your senior parent’s accounts or if you keep track of their finances for them and you notice that money is disappearing that could be a sign they have been scammed. Carefully check where the money is going. If the money is going to the pharmacy or to local businesses then it could be money that your senior loved one is spending. But if the money is only going to online businesses and the amounts are more than your senior loved one usually spends you should freeze those debits and credit cards and look into those purchases.

Your Senior Loved One Skimping On Things

Is your senior loved one not keeping as much food in the house? Or have you noticed that they have cut back on cable TV or other services that they used to have? If your senior loved one is skimping on things they may have lost money to a scam and they are too embarrassed to tell you. If your senior loved one has senior home care as the provider why those services are disappearing. And ask the home care provider to keep an eye on things like how well the pantry is stocked and to let you know if it seems like your senior loved one is worrying about money.

Bills Not Getting Paid

Many seniors set up automatic payments for their bills to make sure that the bills are paid on time. If you notice that your senior loved one is getting bills in the mail that haven’t been paid even though they are on automatic payments check to make sure that the automatic payments are going through. If there is low money in your senior parent’s accounts the bills could be bouncing because of that.

Debt Collection Calls

If your senior loved one is starting to get debt collection calls but they don’t owe any debts that could be a sign they were scammed. If scammers opened up accounts in your senior parent’s name using their personal information your senior parent could get calls from collection companies when the scammers default on the debt. Ask the debt collectors for information like account numbers and any evidence of the debt. You may need that documentation to fight the debt and prove that your senior parent never opened the account.

Source
https://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/news/20050516/why-elderly-people-may-be-more-easily-misled

If you or an aging loved one is considering senior home care in Lafayette, CA, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Walnut Creek. (925) 203-3039.

The post 4 Signs Your Senior Parent Was Scammed appeared first on Golden Heart East Bay.

The FTC surveys millions of people regarding fraud. The October 2019 survey found that 40 million adults were victims of at least one fraudulent activity. Older adults were less likely to admit it, but those that did admit to losing money tended to have lost the most money.

While all ages were at risk of being scammed, the survey found that older adults were more likely to fall for these scams.

• Contest/lottery scams
• Family/friend impersonation scams
• Government agency impersonation scams
• Romance scams
• Tech support scams

Has your mom been caught in a scam? If so, she needs to report it. She can’t let embarrassment keep her from calling the police. If she hasn’t yet, scammers are out there. Make sure she knows these tips to prevent scams from happening to her.

Never Give Money or Gift Cards to a Stranger

Your mom cannot give any money or gift card numbers to someone who calls. The police, IRS, and other government agencies will never demand payment through gift cards. They’d also never require money to be packaged and sent to them using UPS or another courier service.

Verify Grandkids Really Have Been Arrested or in an Accident

The grandparent scam is one of the easiest for grandparents to fall for. The scammer uses social media to find personal information, which makes the scam believable.

If your mom is the victim of a grandparent scam, she needs to hang up and call family members to verify that there really is an issue. Your mom must always be suspicious of a caller in this situation.

Call Spoofing Makes It Hard to Know if a Call Is Legitimate

Call spoofing is a technique scammers use to get people to answer the phone. Instead of calling from a foreign or out-of-state number, they make it look like a local business is calling.

Make sure your mom is aware that call spoofing exists. When someone calls her, it may not be a legitimate call. If she gets a call from a local store that she’s never shopped from or been in, she shouldn’t answer the phone. If it is legitimate, they’ll call back.

She Doesn’t Have to Answer Her Phone

Some older adults are more likely to pick up the phone. While younger generations tend to let unknown calls go to voicemail, older adults often feel obligated to answer. It goes back to common etiquette where you answered a ringing phone by the third ring and had to be engaging and polite.

Make sure your mom knows she doesn’t have to answer the phone. It’s acceptable to let the call go to voicemail and call back if it was a legitimate call. By doing that, she avoids calls from scammers.

If she answers the phone simply because she’s lonely and wants to hear another person’s voice, it’s time to talk about caregivers and companionship visits. Instead of talking to a stranger on the phone, she can talk to the caregiver who stops by.

With companionship visits, your mom has caregivers to engage with over movies, a game of cards, or a meal. Call a home care agency to schedule caregivers.

Sources:
https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/reports/protecting-older-consumers-2019-2020-report-federal-trade-commission/p144400_protecting_older_adults_report_2020.pdf

If you or an aging loved one is considering caregivers in Danville, CA, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Walnut Creek. (925) 203-3039.

The post Easy Ways to Keep Your Mom From Getting Scammed appeared first on Golden Heart East Bay.