Fraud, scams, and identity theft of the elderly and other vulnerable adults is a noteable concern of loved ones and relatives.
What is a scam?
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a scam is ‘an illegal plan for making money, especially one that involves tricking people’. In reality, there are many ways that elderly or vulnerable adults can fall victim to a scam:
Top Scams
Lottery and Prize Draw Scams: Typically, this scam will tell the victim that they have won a large cash prize, but are asked to send over a fee in order to receive it. Usually, these are fictitious prizes to competitions that have never been entered.
Phishing Scams: A common example of a phishing scam is where a caller will pose as a representative from a bank or building society. They will tell the victim that there is a problem with their account and ask for sensitive details or cash to resolve it.
Identity Theft: This will usually take the form of a telephone caller who is conducting a survey. They will use clever methods of obtaining personal details that can then be used to steal the victim’s identity.
Fake Charities: This scam involves calls and door-to-door visits from individuals claiming to work on behalf of a charity. They ask the victim for money and lead the victim into believing that it will be going to a charity.
PPI Scams: Scammers will call posing to be part of a claims handling company. The victim is told that they have been awarded compensation for mis-sold Payment Protection Insurance, when they may not have even taken out a loan.
5 Top Tips to Avoid Scams
- Make sure that you shred all documents that could be useful to criminals – these will be things like bank statements, utility bills and other important documents.
- Remind elderly friends and family members that they should never provide personal information over the telephone, unless they initiated the phone call.
- Ensure that a ‘No Cold Calling’ sign is placed visibly by the front door of an elderly person.
- Educate your elderly relative or friend about the risk of falling prey to email and phishing scams.
- Keep an eye out for differences in behaviour or lifestyle of those who could fall victim to scams. They may have been affected and be unable to let you know.
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