A few months ago I published an article in the Senior News as well as on my online blog entitled The Psychology of Scams. I recently had the pleasure of collaborating on a new post with Jennifer Criso of Home Finance Care, LLC, a daily money manager. She helps seniors and disabled individuals manage their personal finances, such as bill paying, reconciling checkbooks, organizing financial paperwork and acting as a liaison with banks, Medicaid and health insurance companies.
We've put together a comprehensive list of senior scams and great tips to protect you from malicious scammers including ones that Jennifer sees in her line of work. I have included Jennifer's contact info below the post.
Many scams now involve technology – phishing emails and texts, spoofed caller ID, links that seem like they will take you package tracking or your bank account…
IRS (and Social Security) – phone calls or texts (or emails) claiming you owe money – asking for bank account info or to send a money wire.
Don’t fall for this! The IRS won’t call or text you. Ask for something in writing, call the IRS directly, or login to your account irs.gov. If you use a tax preparer, call them, they’ll know if you owe money.
Scams involving loved ones – a relative is in jail, in the hospital etc. The scammer uses urgency and fear to trick you into making a panicked decision. Hang up and call that relative or their mom/son etc.
Bank accounts – if you get an alert from your bank or credit card company, do not click on the link. Call them, login to the app or website that you always use.
Same goes with texts from delivery services. Believe me, the US Post office is NOT texting you! There is no lost or misdelivered package to claim. Were you expecting an order? Check the tracking info yourself!
If someone texts you and they’re not in your contacts, don’t respond!
Double check website addresses, sometimes even the first result on Google can be wrong because it’s a sponsored link (so at the very least it’s a rival company trying to get your business). Make sure you’re not spelling the URL wrong. Bookmark official websites that you use often instead of searching for them each time.
Avoid using checks! Scammers will take a check right out of your mailbox! Use credit cards or PayPal when possible. If you have to mail a check, bring it to the post office yourself or drop it in your outgoing mail right before collection, don’t let it sit in the box!
Question everything! That email or phone call asking for a charitable donation? Tell them to mail you something! Only donate to reputable charities, research them on your own if you’ve never heard of them before.
Have a trusted contact on your accounts - a son or daughter, your POA, a daily money manager, anyone that can also see account alerts and watch for suspicious activity. Don’t feel bad if you think you are getting scammed, fraudsters are good at what they do! Better to ask for help before it gets too late!
Be wary of advertisements on websites, including Facebook and Instagram. Scammers sometimes use these to trick you with amazing deals on products.
Many of these ads contain malware or viruses - be sure to have good anti-virus and anti-malware programs installed on your computer as well as ad blockers.
Don’t click just because it sounds good or is something you’ve been wanting to buy. Go to the official website instead.
Don’t believe shocking celebrity articles too good to be true.
Tech Support calls and computer pop-ups.
Scammers will call/email/text claiming there is a problem with your computer and they can fix it by logging onto your device remotely. Microsoft and Apple will NOT call you.
Pop-ups on your computer will claim the same thing, and to call a number on your screen for help. Do NOT call these numbers. They are fake and malicious.
Most likely there is actually NOTHING wrong with your computer in the first place. Hold down the power button on your computer for 10 seconds. Then turn it back on. Everything is fine!
Use complex secure passwords and consider a Password Manager with a password generator. This way you won’t have to remember all your passwords nor write them down on paper.
Implement 2-factor authentication which provides an extra layer of security for your accounts. This will require two forms of identification to access your account, such as your password and a code sent to your phone.
If you do believe you’ve been scammed, call your Banks and Credit Card companies, and have your computer professionally checked for viruses and malware.
Jennifer Criso can be reached at:
201-690-7241
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