Most caregivers know how much of an issue scams targeting seniors are, but what’s the best way to limit the risk? Sure, you could try to constantly check the phone, internet and email of the person you’re giving care to, but that might be an invasion of their privacy.
And no matter how vigilant you are, there will always be times you’re not around. In that case, the senior might be communicating directly with a scammer and not even know it (especially if they’re afflicted with dementia or Alzheimer’s). Since a new IRS scam is victimizing over 200 people a week according to USA Today, it’s more important than ever to be able to recognize scams targeting seniors, and go over the risks with the senior you’re providing care to.
The infographic put together by LifeLock breaks down scams targeting seniors into three categories: phone, email and software scams. More seniors use phone and email than software, so the prior two types of scams are more important to focus on. A full 13% more seniors use cell phones than have internet.
Make sure to read the popular scams in the infographic, because they’re still going on today. The IRS scam mentioned earlier is just a slight variation of the IRS scam covered in this graphic.
Here are some additional resources for caregivers wanting to cover all bases when preventing scams:
Email security — Cisco
Identity theft monitoring — LifeLock
Cellphone security — Lookout
Jane S. Daly is the author of two books, Because of Grace (2015) and The Caregiving Season (2016). She is also the treasurer of Inspire Christian Writers and West Coast Christian Writers.