If you have an elderly loved one that you fear could fall for certain scams that have been targeting older people and people who may not be as aware of the scams that are abounding, you’ll be glad to know that there are things that you can do to help prepare them for this and help them recognize when a scam might be taking place.
So whether your elderly loved one still lives on their own or lives in an assisted living facility, here are three ways to keep your elderly loved one from falling for scams.
Teach Them About Common Scams
One of the first and best things that you can do to help your elderly loved ones to not fall for scams is to know what common scams are out there and how to recognize them. This will help them to know what kind of questions to ask about people who might reach out to them in an attempt to take advantage of them.
Some of the most common scams that people are doing out there and targeting older people for include things like health care fraud, funeral scams, telemarketing, Internet fraud like hacking their email or social media accounts, dating scams, investment schemes, making them think they’ve won something, or getting fake calls from family members asking for money or other help. By explaining each of these things, you can hopefully help your elderly loved one spot something that could be a scam before they get scammed.
Learn How To Ask The Right Questions
Even after you’ve explained some common scams to your elderly loved one, they still may not recognize when something like this is happening to them, especially in the earlier stages of the scam.
To help with this, it’s important to reach out to your loved one regularly and ask questions about what’s going on in their life. Ask if anything exciting has happened recently or if they’ve spoken to anyone interesting. This will hopefully jog their memory to anything out of the norm that might be suspicious to you.
Remind Them Not To Give Information Out On Incoming Calls
Something that’s a good rule of thumb for everyone, including your elderly loved ones, is to learn how to give out information to anyone that calls them, including people that they think they recognize or know.
In the event that someone calls them—be it a utility company, police officer, long-lost friend, or anyone else—they should get into the habit of calling that person or company back on the phone number that they have for them or is posted on a public website just to make sure that it’s legitimate.
If you want to help your elderly loved ones not fall for any scams or get defrauded, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you learn how this can best be done.