Prevent Becoming a Scam Victim
Access to major funds or credit, the fact that sometimes seniors are isolated and lonely and the perception that elders have reduced cognition are all reasons scam artists view older adults as easy prey. Each year, older Americans lose approximately $3 billion to an ever-growing number of financial scams, according to the U.S. Senate’s Special Committee on Aging.
But just because you or a loved one may be a target doesn't mean you or someone you care about has to be a victim. With awareness of the most common scams and having strategies in place, you and your loved one can avoid getting ripped off and help law enforcement agencies shut down these sordid operations.
Common Scams Targeting Seniors
Senior scams play on our biggest fears and concerns – our health, our finances, our home and the well-being of our families. Scammers enter people’s lives by mail, phone and email, and in person with an unsolicited knock on the door. They often look official and seem trustworthy. Their offers may seem like good ideas – often too good to be true. Some of the most common senior scams include:
IRS Scams: People pretend to be Internal Revenue Service employees and ask for payment for back taxes that are supposedly owed.
Sweepstake Scams: Fraudsters call or send a flyer saying you have won something. To retrieve your “prize,” they ask you to send a check or give your credit card or bank account number.
Medicare/Health Insurance Scams: Someone calls saying they are from Medicare or a health insurance company and asks for confidential, personal information, such as your Social Security number.
Social Security Scams: A caller pretends to be with Social Security and attempts to get your Social Security number and other personal information by threatening legal action.
Romance or Sweetheart Scams: Through online dating sites and apps, scammers build fake relationships with targets. Once a sense of trust is established, the scammer creates stories to elicit the transfer of funds to pay for made-up expenses such as medical emergencies, airplane or hotel expenses and other major purchases.
Update-Your-Account Scam: An email or text that looks like it is from a company you actually do business with pops into your inbox or comes across your phone and asks you to update your account information, including a credit card or bank account number.
Home Repair Scams: Unsolicited, someone knocks on your door saying they can fix an issue with your home or on your grounds at a good price.
Utility Imposter Scams: Scammers pretend to be with the electric, water, gas or other utility provider, say there’s an overdue bill and threaten that services will be turned off if payment isn’t made by providing a bank account number or credit card information.
Charity Scams: Someone calls and asks you to donate to a fake charity with a very real-sounding name or someone calls and says you previously made a pledge and they are now collecting on it — again, asking for cash, a check or your credit card number.
Grandparent Scam: Someone calls and says something like, “Hi, Grandma, it’s me” – not giving a name. The senior then responds with the grandchild’s name and the caller assumes the grandchild’s identity and asks for money.
Coronavirus Scams: Scammers trying to take advantage of people regarding COVID-19 include those pretending to be contact tracers, individuals saying they are government representatives calling about checks and people reaching out with offers for vaccinations, home test kits and cures.
How to Avoid Being Scammed
Be aware that everyone is susceptible and no one is immune. Have your guard up no matter how sharp you think you are and no matter how legitimate something seems. To stay safe, follow these recommendations:
Don’t give credit card numbers, bank account numbers or Social Security numbers over the phone or by email.
Don’t answer the phone if you don’t recognize the caller.
Never answer the door for a person you don’t know.
Should you find yourself on the phone with a stranger, have a strategy for getting off the phone. Some people feel just hanging up is rude. If that’s the case for you or a loved one, have a strategy that works for you and use it – perhaps by saying that you have something to tend to and need to get off the phone.
Shred your mail and documents before throwing them away.
Lock up your checkbook, account statements and other sensitive personal information when people are going to be in your home.
Check references and credentials of people you are hiring to do work for you.
Consider using direct deposit to prevent benefit checks from being stolen from your mailbox.
Get an unlisted phone number. Your phone service provider will be glad to help you with this.
Make it your strict policy to talk over any financial, charity or spending decisions with a trusted family member or friend before giving out information or money.
Never click a link in an email or text to access or set up an account with a business. Always enter your account through the business’ main website via your own browser and if anything seems questionable, call or visit the business.
Trust your instinct. If your gut feeling is that something feels too good to be true, it probably is.
Steps to Take if You Are Scammed
If you or your loved one receive what you believe to be a scam phone call, email, text or mailing, or if you believe a scam artist has knocked on your door, report it immediately to your local law enforcement agency.
Call your bank and/or credit card company to report what’s happened and cancel any debit or credit cards linked to the compromised accounts. Be sure to reset passwords and personal identification numbers associated with access to those accounts.
If you realize you have been a victim of a scam, do not be embarrassed. These scammers are professionals and are very good at what they do. Turn your misfortune into a positive for your community and report the scam so you can help protect others.
Resources to Prevent and Report Scams
- Sign up for the free National Do Not Call Registry at DoNotCall.gov or by calling 888-382-1222 from the phone you want to register.
- Check your credit report annually at AnnualCreditReport.com or by calling 877-322-8228.
- Consider putting a “security freeze” on your credit report to restrict access to your credit file, making it harder for identity thieves to open new accounts in your name. Find out more by visiting the North Carolina Dept. of Justice at NCDOJ.gov/Protecting-Consumers/Protecting-Your-Identity/Free-Security-Freeze.
- Visit NCDOJ.gov/Protecting-Consumers and the South Carolina Dept. of Consumer Affairs at Consumer.SC.gov/Consumer-Resources/Consumer-FAQs/Scam-Education for more tips about avoiding being defrauded.
- Contact the Consumer Protection Division of the North Carolina Dept. of Justice at 877-5-NO-SCAM or the South Carolina Dept. of Consumer Affairs at (844)-TELL-DCA
- Report a scam and stay up-to-date with what others are experiencing in your area by visiting the Better Business Bureau website at BBB.org/ScamTracker.