Scams mean it’s ‘shrewd to be rude’
Scammers are out in droves looking to steal money and personal information for their own gain. Older adults are particularly vulnerable
because they tend to be trusting and do not want to appear rude. However, these days, the Better Business Bureau says, “it’s shrewd to be rude.”
Warning signs are:
• Frequent junk mail and spam calls. Incoming junk mail (sweepstakes offers, etc.) or frequent calls from people offering valuable rewards or asking for charitable donations are signs fraud could easily occur or may have already occurred.
• Unfamiliar payments. Verify any business asking for payment, especially if they are unfamiliar or out-of-state companies. Do your research and do not be afraid to question a charge.
• Secretive phone calls or messages. If a person or company asks you to hide your communications with them, it’s a red flag. They don’t want you to alert someone who may know about their fraudulent activities.
• Sudden bills or withdrawals. If you are contacted for “urgent/emergency” payments, it could be scam activity and should be investigated to rule out fraud.
Tips for helping yourself and loved ones avoid fraud:
• Become familiar with common scams targeting older adults. Knowing the most common tactics used to target older adults can help you more easily identify scams before they occur.
• Emphasize the criminal nature of telemarketing and email fraud. Learn how to identify fraud and understand these tactics are illegal. By simply participating, it is possible you could unknowingly be pulled into criminal activity.
• Ignore phone suspicious calls and messages. Don’t answer or reply to unsolicited calls; just hang up or, better yet, screen your calls by letting them go to voicemail and only return calls from people or companies you know.
• Delete suspicious emails and text messages. Even if it looks like a person or company you do business with, contact them using verifiable email addresses or phone numbers. Do not reply to or click links in emails or unsolicited text messages asking for personal information, criminals can make email headers and caller ID look like anyone.
• Secure accounts and monitor finances. Because so much information is online, you may need to enlist a trusted young person to help you set up, secure, and/or monitor your accounts to prevent fraudulent activity and identify if it has occurred. Delays can put you at risk of losing your money permanently.
• Check your credit reports annually. Either get all three once a year or order one every four months to monitor your credit: www.annualcreditreport.com or 877322-8228. It is free and won’t impact your credit score.
• Change your phone number. If suspicious calls continue, it may be worth changing your phone number. Registering your number with the Do Not Call list (888-382-1222) is a great first step, although scammers won’t necessarily follow the Do-Not-Call list laws, it should reduce the number of unsolicited marketing calls.
Protect yourself and your loved ones by being well-informed and ask for help before it’s too late. When in doubt, check them out with the Better Business Bureau, 713-868-9500 or www.bbb.org.
Medicare fraud alert: Scammers are now charging Medicare beneficiaries for diabetic supplies which they either don’t get or don’t need. If you see anything suspicious on your Medicare Summary Notice (MSN), call the Texas Senior Medicare Patrol Hotline: 1-888341-6187.