Scams conducted against the elderly are far too frequent and difficult to prevent. However, there are some steps you can take if you or an elderly loved one has been scammed.
Along with the growth of America's elderly population, has come a less welcome population growth.
The number of scammers.
This unwelcome “population” has increased, as unscrupulous people seek to make easy money by duping the elderly.
There are many types of scams that target the elderly, ranging from large ones meant to make millions to very small scams meant to cheat an elderly person out of a few hundred dollars.
The smaller ones can be very difficult to prevent because they often consist of someone calling the elderly and pretending to be someone else, such as a charity or a debt collector.
These callers lie and sweet talk their way into getting the elderly victim's bank or credit card information.
If you know someone who has been a victim of such a scam recently, there are some things that you can do as My San Antonio discusses in "How to handle a scam against elderly parent."
The first thing that needs to be done is to contact the financial institution and make sure it is aware of the scam.
The institution can even block the transaction, if it is not too late.
The local police should be called as well to make sure the crime is reported.
It is also a good idea to contact an elder law attorney to ask for legal advice, if needed to get any money back.
When the elderly are scammed, it is not always possible to get their money back. However, by making a few phones calls, you can make it more likely.
Reference: My San Antonio (Jan. 12, 2018) "How to handle a scam against elderly parent."