Protect your Parents from Senior Scams

Fraud is the top crime against older adults, resulting in millions of dollars of financial losses each year. The scammers target the seniors with their accumulated wealth, great credit ratings and the rapidly changing digital technologies that they

lack the knowledge of. 

So its up to us to protect and educate the ones that have done so much for us previously

Common Tactics

A) Grandparent Emergency; they pretend to be a loved one who is in an urgent crisis (car accident, in jail or stuck in a foreign country) as they beg for money. Now with AI tools, they can clone the actual voice to make it sound realistic

B) Impersonations; from maybe the government or your bank, using aggressive fear language that if you do not forward personal information or funds you could face heavy penalties or arrest

C) Tech Support; a sudden popup appears to say your computer or phone has been infected with a virus, with a phone number to "pay" for a repair

D) Romance; the con is to befriend lonely or isolated seniors, then over time after building an emotional bond start asking for money because of  medical emergencies, travel issues or investment opportunities

Protect Yourself

A) If you get a call from the government, bank or tech company, hang up and then call back directly with the number you have on file for any of these organizations to confirm if legit

B) Set up a "family password" with everyone within your circle to be used, if there is 

a real emergency

C) For all your physical documents like a Passport or Birth Certificates, have them stored securely at home and for all your the old credit card statements plus medical bills please shred them 

D) If you did share financial information, call your bank fraud department immediately using the number on the back of your card to freeze your accounts and money

E) File a report with your local police department if money was exchanged or if you feel physically threatened