Protecting Seniors: Top Scams To Watch Out For And How To Stay Safe
The scam industry is quite huge now and with advancements in technology, scams are growing at a faster rate. The fraudster takes advantage of growing technology because they are quick at adapting. Scammers work systematically; they do proper market research and read which age groups can be targeted easily.
Speaking about the age group, in this article we will learn about the seniors who are highly targeted by fraudsters. Protecting seniors is some of our responsibility, as they are not familiar with the technology and introducing them to the technology and their operations will help them use it safely.
Many seniors are defrauded by phishing scams because they are unaware of such scams and click on malicious links or open harmful links, which can wipe their accounts and steal their data.
Seniors are vulnerable and potential targets for fraudsters, and they will try their best to trap them. To safeguard our seniors, we have to understand what types of scams are growing in the market and how we can tackle them. So for senior Citizen safety, without further ado, let’s begin.
Types of Scams with Senior Citizens
Healthcare scam
Healthcare scams are one of the most common Scams practiced by fraudsters. They connect with the senior citizens, pretending to be healthcare agents. They get all this data from the dark web or they steal it through phishing or other methods.
The fraudsters call their targets and as they have some of their information, they know about their medical history and what insurance they have. Fraudsters fool senior citizens and say their health insurance has expired and they have to renew in 2 hours or so. In such a scenario, people panic and share their bank details and all their valuable information.
Tech support scam
The tech support scam is one of the most widespread. Overall, people lose millions of dollars every year to this scam. Tech support fools people by claiming that they are calling from Microsoft or other such companies.
They dupe people by claiming that their Microsoft plan is expired and they have to renew now or they will lose all their data. In some cases, if the victim denies it, they emotionally convince them to renew their plan as the agent will get some commission and for the payment part, they always avoid bank transactions; they prefer gift cards or wire transfers.
Romance Scam
There are some people who are looking for a relationship even though they are old. They want to live their lives to the fullest and don’t want to be left alone. And fraudsters target such people because they have a good bank balance.
Fraudsters do thorough research on such people; they do a proper background check and look at their social media. Later, when they connect, they have every piece of information so they can use it to win their trust and loot them in the future.
Investment Scam
There are many senior citizens who are more interested in investment, as they are retired and want to grow their money and investment is a viable option.
Many fraudsters pretend to be brokers and dupe people by promising High returns with low risks in a short time. People do fall for such schemes and lose their life savings in no time.
Charity Scam
Charity is one of the things that senior citizens like to do, as they have done a lot of hard work and have funds that they want to put into a good cause.
Fraudsters do pretend to run a non profitable organisation and they help many people in need. But In turn, they just collect their profit out of it and run a huge scam in the name of an NGO.
Lottery Scam
A lottery scam is another one of these scams that every age group falls for. People try their luck in the lottery to gain a good profit or get some gifts. But as the rules say, the lucky ones will get the prize, and if the lottery is fraudulent, there will be no prize, just a hyped lottery contest.
There are some lottery contests that are run by sophisticated fraudsters. They run such contests with the intention of gathering valuable personal details about the victim, which they can misuse or sell on the black market.
How to protect Senior Citizens from Scams
Securing senior living is our responsibility, as they are new to technology and the digital world. Being an easy target with lots of funds makes them vulnerable. Here are some preventive measures one can take to protect senior citizens from Scams.
Credit monitoring
Credit monitoring is one of the most vital steps for senior citizens. If any suspicious transaction occurs, it will help to detect the fraud quickly and save their life savings.
Communication
Communicating with seniors will help them share details about any suspicious messages or calls. It will open a path for seamless conversation with you and the elderly. So it’s better to ask about their day.
Password Protection
Password Protection is the first line of defense to protect your data. Most social media applications and various applications provide multiple factor authentication. Through multiple factor authentication.
Privacy settings
Updating privacy settings is a must for everyone, as it will prevent attackers from breaching security and sharing personal information on social media platforms.
Verification
Verification is the step that every application takes to maintain the authenticity of the personel. The same applies to us; we have to verify the unknown contacts and cross check their shared details, whether they’re related to your banking or social media.
Steps to follow if someone falls for victim
The elderly are vulnerable to online scams. Here are the steps you can follow if someone falls victim to online fraud.
- Try to communicate with them and help them open up about the fraud.
- Report the application and file a complaint against the fraud.
- Reach out to law enforcement to get further legal help and recover any lost funds.
- Seize all the bank accounts, block all access to the accounts, and change the password.
Educate Senior citizens
Educating senior citizens about the scams and how to safeguard themselves from the fraudsters should be your first step in protecting senior citizens.
You should timely update them about the new scams in the market and how to avoid them.
Conclusion
Concluding the article, I hope you gained informative knowledge on protecting senior citizens from online threats. The first step you have to take to prevent scams is to educate the elderly about scams and update them about recent scams. If you notice any suspicious activity on your banking application, social media platforms, or any other website, you can report it to law enforcement.
“IF LOVED ONES FALL FOR VICTIMS IN ONLINE SCAMS, YOU CAN CONTACT A SCAM REVIEWER FOR A RECOVERY PROCESS!”