Scams Targeting Senior Citizens

According to www.seniorliving.org, scammers target senior citizens by taking advantage of their isolation, ease of trust, higher savings and lack of technological skills. The sad part is that these scams often work, especially as technology advances and scammers find new ways to scheme senior citizens whom they see as naive or gullible. Scams may take the form of alleged credit card offers, donation requests from charities, home improvement offers, investment opportunities, promises of banking and wire transfers, insurance offers, health products and sweepstakes and other contests.

For extensive information from the experts on guarding against scams targeting senior citizens, visit https://www.seniorliving.org/research/common-elderly-scams/.

Common Fraud Tactics Used on the Elderly

www.seniorliving.org

• Being friendly, approachable, and sympathetic so that the victim feels like the solicitor is on their side

• Instilling fear or giving a sense of urgency so people don’t have much time to think or act rationally

• Using emotional arousal to skew proper judgment; not long ago, researchers at Stanford found that when elderly individuals are in a state of high emotional arousal, they become more interested in buying things that are falsely advertised

• Pretending to be associated with a credible company, government agency, or charity to fake legitimacy

• Being ambiguous about the subject or changing it throughout a conversation to distract the victim

For more information about the tell-tale signs of scammers targeting seniors, visit Crime Prevention and Safety Tips on the Simpsonville Police Department page.

If You Have Been Victim to a Scam:

www.seniorliving.org

If you think you might be a victim of a scam, reach out to someone you trust such as a close friend or family member. Don’t be afraid to talk to someone because doing nothing could make the situation worse.

Unfortunately, once money has been wired out, it is more than likely gone. However, that does not mean that there’s nothing left for you to do. Other senior victims are counting on you to report the details so that the scams can be shut down. The AARP breaks down a handy list of resources that are useful to keep readily available. Additionally, keep the phone numbers for your local police station and bank close by.

A special thank you to www.seniorliving.org for providing this helpful information on protecting one of our most vulnerable populations