How Scammers Target Seniors
Advice on how to avoid being scammed
I have older parents that live alone and they often call me to tell me about how someone called them to get their credit card number or asked them for their social security number and they refused. Many older adults today are wary of scammers targeting them, they are a large demographic that controls a lot of money as a group and people with bad intentions know this and see this as an opportunity. They bet on the numbers game, meaning that they will call 100 people and if they get one, then they have accomplished their mission. Communicating what we hear or personal experiences to others are absolutely key to preventing the next senior from being scammed, we need to keep our older parents safe. If you are reading this and have a family member that has been a victim or intended victim, please share your story in the comments below.
I am a huge advocate for keeping seniors safe and there are a variety of things adult children need to be aware of to do so. One that is very common now and can happen very quickly is a senior being scammed out of their savings right from underneath them. I recently attended a seminar offered here in Fairfax County and Arlington County by Tall Oaks and instructed by a very knowledgeable person, Martin Bailey. For those who missed it, I am going to highlight what I feel is the most important part for adult children to keep our older parents safe.
They Target the Emotions of our Parents
The scammers recognize that many seniors live alone, they may or may not have home care visits or a caregiver come by that regularly, so they know that seniors are eager for contact from another human. They use one of three emotional approaches: Fear, Excitement or Love. Each of these approaches can happen over the phone, online or in-person.
The fear will attempt to scare them from losing something. This is very dangerous as seniors can be very trusting. The scammer will apply a heightened sense of urgency with phrases like "this will happen today if you don't" or "this will take place immediately if you don't". Each of these attempts is designed to get them to act without consulting anyone as they are made to feel they do not have any more time left to wait. A huge red flag.
The excitement of having won something or having access to money is a popular one. Scammers know that the majority of seniors are on a tight budget and that money is a big worry for many of them. They target this by saying phrases like "Congratulations (name of older adult), you won. In order to get this sent to you, I need" or "I have $10 Million dollars locked up in (some country) vault and I need $10,000 to get it out. If you can help me, I will give you $1 Million dollars. Can you transfer the money to me." The last one was a common one for a while, but many have shared their stories of this same call, my parents got this call as well, and now it is less prevalent, but not completely gone so be aware.
The final one if love, especially if you have a parent that lives alone, this will be one you should absolutely have a conversation with them about. To keep our older parents safe, we the adult children find ourselves having difficult or uncomfortable conversations at times with them, but they are necessary and you will thank yourself for doing so in the long run. The key here is not to lecture them or tell them what to do but rather share stories and say something along the lines of, "if you meet someone, I am here for you to talk to." This keeps the door open when they meet someone, so you have to be paying attention when they talk with you and do not get mad, just be there to listen. You want to keep that line of communication open so you can help prevent them from being scammed but not scare your parent from thinking they cannot talk to you about that subject. It is a tough conversation, but being lonely can drive people to take what may seem like desperate actions, just be there for them no matter what they want to discuss related to a new love interest or friend.
Suggestions to Keep Our Older Parents Safe
To avoid the fear tactic, always tell them to contact you if someone if asking for money or personal information before they do so. This will give you the time to check, but make sure you take action, because parents will if you do not.
To avoid the excitement, let them know about scams like this. Make them aware that this is a common scam and tell them a personal story about a friend's parent had it happen to them or you read an article (like this one) and this will help them be more cautious. Let them know they should and can always talk to you about anything like that so you can check for them.
The love interest is a very difficult topic for adult children and one we may try to avoid. The best suggestion I have is try to understand their situation of being alone and vulnerable. As much as it may NOT be the topic you want to hear about, be the one they can talk to, do not shut the door on them. In the long run, your advice and involvement may save them from being scammed.
Thank you for reading and please help us keep our older parents safe by liking, re-sharing and even posting your own personal story of someone trying to scam your parents so we can help more seniors avoid losing their life savings. Remember, regular contact with your parents (the senior) is key, if you live in Arlington County or Fairfax County, there is a regular check-in service that has trusted, professional staff that can so virtually on a daily basis. These daily check-ins can help stay ahead of issues and be more aware of situations like the ones mentioned here, check out the service here.
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