Financial scams usually go unnoticed and may be hard to prosecute, as these are deemed “low-risk” crimes. But these prove to be very damaging for many elders and may leave elders in financial destitution with no time to recover their losses. Read about preventing or recognizing common financial scams to protect yourself and your old-age parents from hurricane scams in Vero Beach, FL.
Health Insurance Scams
Each U.S. citizen or permanent resident beyond age 65 is eligible for Medicare. At the same time, there is little need for a scam artist to pry into what private health insurance policies elders own to scam them out of their life savings. With such versions of scams, criminals might pretend to be Medicare representatives to ask elders for private financial information or pose as doctors for elders at mobile medical clinics, then bill charges to Medicare or pocket billings.
Medicare scams trend as the latest fad in medical practice, like genetic testing scams or fraudulent COVID-19 vaccines.
Internet Fraud
Though surfing the Internet remains a valuable skill regardless of age, the sluggish pace of surfing among some elders renders them common targets for automated internet scams, which are pervasive on the internet or email. Pop-up browser screens imitating virus-scanning programs or scam victims into downloading fraudulent anti-virus packages (at a hefty cost).
The computer virus may render all information in the user’s computer vulnerable to scammers. Their ignorance of more hidden parts involved in browsing the internet (firewalls or built-in virus protection, to consider) renders elders more vulnerable to internet scams.
IT Technical Support Scams
Computer technical support scams take advantage of elders’ relative ignorance about IT or cybersecurity. A pop-up instruction or empty screen often displays on the computer or mobile, informing you that your computer security is compromised and requires repair.
Once you dial the support number for assistance, these scammers could ask for remote access to your computer or demand that you pay bills to have viruses removed. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported that elders who fell for such scams lost a median of $500 per person to IT tech support scams yearly.
Government Imposter Scams
Government impostors contact gullible victims and pose as Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agents, Social Security Administration, or Medicare agents. They may fraudulently charge you with unpaid taxes and make threats of deportation or arrest if you fail to pay up immediately.
Or they might claim that your Social Security or Medicare benefits may risk getting cut off if you do not give them personal identifying data (which can then be taken to make fraudulent claims). Government impersonators usually “spoof” the existing phone numbers of these government agencies or phone them from similar-looking zip codes (202 for Washington, DC).
Internet Scams Targeting Seniors
Last year, the most common internet scams targeting seniors aged 60 and above were phishing, investment, or social media impersonation scams, police have reported. Internet scams may target seniors as they are perceived as holding more significant savings or are less likely to report crimes. Fraudsters usually prey on seniors’ hopes to set aside more considerable retirement savings, close form bonds in mature years, or kin care.
Elders tend to be more vulnerable to internet scams targeting seniors than younger people or often hold on to better credit or more significant reserves of wealth. This renders them more attractive as scammer targets. Seniors are usually seen as easy targets by criminals because they might not know how to report cybercrimes to the police or detect leaks in cybersecurity; if you receive calls from someone posing as an IRS agent, report this to the IRS and the police.
