SENIORS AND FRAUD

Scams and Fraud are everywhere! While no one is exempt from scammers, they seem to prey mostly on the elderly and those most vulnerable. So how can you protect your loved ones from becoming victims of fraud? If you live in or around San Diego, then you’ll want to listen up. 

You see the headlines on the news all too often about new scams in the area or recent victims sharing their stories to save you from the same fate. I’ve got 3 things you can do to help protect your loved ones from being the next scam victim. Start by protecting their phone number. This is one of the most common ways scammers will try to connect with potential victims. You can contact your family member’s phone carrier and request their number be unlisted. In addition, add it to the national “Do Not Call” Registry. This will not stop all the potential scam calls; however, it will go a long way towards reducing them.  The second thing you can do is talk with your senior family members about the different types of scams that they may encounter. Remind them that they cannot win a sweepstakes they did not enter. You might be thinking that they clearly wouldn’t send money to someone they don’t know but don’t assume it will be that obvious of a scam. Remember, these scammers are “Professionals” at what they do, and they often target the emotions of their victims to elicit action. And third, have them document the phone number, or save the letter if it came in the mail if at any time, they think they’ve encountered a scam. This will help give you an idea of what types of scams they are dealing with. You may want to consider setting up online access to their bank accounts and/or credit cards so you can monitor them for unusual activities. Most importantly, keep the line of communication open with your loved one. Make sure they feel they can talk to you without fear of shame or blame. If they do become a victim, you’ll want them to feel they can come to you immediately. 

Remember, the time to protect your loved ones from scams is BEFORE they become a victim. I hope you found these tips helpful. If you know of others who might find these tips valuable, please share my video with them. Also, feel free to contact me if you have any additional questions. I help lots of senior homeowners on a routine basis and have a great list of just about any resource you may ever need. You can reach me by phone at # 858-336-1114 or email at [email protected] Make it a great day.