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Seniors – Say no to scams and frauds
Seniors are a easy target for someone with less than perfect ethics. There are unfortunately too many people in the world who would rather steal and deceive then work for a living. Seniors make great targets for many reasons and it is up to you to be aware of what is out there.
Seniors are a target because they often have money. You might not feel rich but if you own your home, have income from investments, pensions, or have a nest egg; that is money they would like to steal from you. Fraud on seniors can occur through a phone call, mail to your home, or a visit by a stranger claiming you have won a fraudulent sweepstakes prizes but you need to pay taxes/shipping/handling. This is often a scam to take your credit card number that you are required to give them for the small fee. The other possible scam is that you get something, but, are required to buy a subscription or find other hidden fees. It is hard to name all the ways people try to steal money from seniors -
- Be careful of anyone contacting you for goods or services. Always ask for more information , a number to call back and time to check the information. Never give them the information immediately.
Seniors are a target because they have medical needs. Medical and Medicare scams abound and are hard to see for what they are because often they are coupled with legitimate services. Over charging or charging for services not performed is quite common and hard to spot because people don’t read the fine print and detail on a bill. Another medical based scam is when a company goes to a senior gathering place offering tests that are either unnecessary or overpriced and broker on fear.
- Do not let yourself be pressured to get a test and always ask about billing up front.
Seniors are a target because they are less likely to report a crime. Sometimes a senior does not know a crime is committed until months later and can not say what exactly happened. Other times a crook preys upon someone with poor memory or dementia. When a senior is taken in by a scam they may have too much pride to report the incident or they may worry that their family might feel they are incapable of living alone anymore.
- The lesson is to know your weaknesses, for example, if you forget faces take photos of all people you do business with. If you find yourself a victim report it immediately if not for your own sake but to save others in the future.
Seniors can often be trusting or lonely as well as all the other reasons already discussed and that makes them to fine a target. To try to keep ahead of the crooks keep up to date on the various scams on fbi.gov and remember these tips;
- If it sounds too good to be true it probably isn’t
- Always ask for things in writing
- Do not let people pressure you into a quick action
- Forget pride, ask others to review documents to make sure you are not signing away your life.
Keep aware of your business and never be afraid to say ‘no thanks’, a real business will be fine with that.