How can we help our seniors avoid the worst of today’s scammers?
Scamming older people out of their precious pensions is nothing new. Some 20 years ago my father, who has never used a computer, was being taken in by rogues knocking on his door and suggesting he needed expensive work done on his house.
Sadly, the arrival of the internet brought new levels of opportunity to capitalise on trust and lack of knowledge amongst older people. And today the sophistication of scams has made it difficult for all of us to sort the real from the con. As research from Chums explains, there are a multitude of ways that scammers can reach into our loved ones’ lives, from telephone calls, through social media to emails and web searches, but there are ways to fight back.
So how can we start to protect our loved ones from all these threats, without frightening them out of any contact with the outside world?
Offering broad guidelines may be the way to go for people who are not tech-savvy but want to make the most of all the good things that the internet has to offer. Here are a few ideas.
Unsolicited phone calls
My neighbour’s mother can be easily taken in – and panicked – by callers wanting to sell her anything or demanding payments. She now tells them her daughter deals with all her finances, and would they like her to call them back? They don’t.
Beware too of anyone who addresses the person answering the phone as ‘sir’ or ‘madam’. A genuine financial institution, service provider or government agency will have a name on record and will use it, unlike scammers who have to be vague as they don’t have that detail. Don’t give them the information they crave.
Unexpected emails
Hands up, I get so paranoid about this that I recently reported my bank as spam and blocked them. That’s because the format of the email looked unusual and I didn’t recognise the content.
But there are checks that people can make to avoid the worst mistakes.
For example, an unexpected email may look like it’s come from a well-known or reliable source, but the first thing the recipient should do is check the sender’s email address. Scammers will try to copy genuine addresses, but there will often be small but surprising changes of spelling or punctuation.
Unsolicited emails from anyone are suspect. It’s always good to consider where the sender might have got your address, and why. And if the email is badly written, it’s less likely to be genuine.
Social media
Social media can be a great way to interact in the world, especially for those who are frequently housebound. But malice does lurk out there, and there are many guidelines available to keep users safe – such as not responding to offers that seem to be too good to be true, and limiting how much personal information to publish.
Web searches
If your relative is looking for a service, they are well advised to be wary of the results that appear. Some ask for fees to carry out tasks that are actually free of charge. Passport renewal has a cost to the government, for example, but there’s no need to pay an organisation an administrative fee to make the application for you.
Money management
Advice for those with relatives still living independently but struggling with money management, perhaps as they deal with dementia, is to protect the larger portion of their cash and investments. This could be done by setting up an account with just small amounts of money that the individual can access to make genuine purchases, and can be regularly topped up as needed.
Talking to your relative’s bank can unearth various strategies to help. Importantly don’t leave setting up a Lasting Power of Attorney until it gets too late.
Create a balance
It’s tricky to get the balance right. We don’t want to frighten our elders into suspecting everyone of being a fraudster. On the other hand, we want to protect them where we can.
If the worst happens, and a relative is scammed, let them take comfort in the fact that this can happen to even the most internet-savvy of us.
Photo by Centre for Ageing Better on Unsplash