Common Scams Targeting Older Adults

Financial scams often target seniors, due to the assumption they have more money and struggle with new technology.

Fraudulent schemes may be carried out by phone, text message, email or social media. What should you know to protect yourself or a loved one?

Medicare and Health Insurance Scams

The complexities of Medicare can make getting coverage unclear. Common scams include:

• Phone calls from someone claiming to be a Medicare broker to steal your information
• Phony clinics that steal health insurance information to file false Medicare claims
• Fake discount plans, which cover few treatments but come with a high price tag

To explore your Medicare options, contact CT’s Program for Health Insurance Assistance.

Government Scams

An imposter claims to be from Medicare, the Social Security Administration or Internal Revenue Service, alleging you have an unpaid balance or overpaid on your account. You may be threatened with arrest, wage garnishment or deportation if you do not provide banking details or make a payment with gift cards, bitcoin or a wire transfer.

Understand that you will never receive a demanding phone call, email or text message from a government office or representative.

Found Money or Sweepstakes Scams

You receive a message that you’ve won a large sum of money and access to your bank account is requested to make a deposit. The sender may also ask for an upfront payment, claiming you need to pay taxes before receiving your prize money.

Never provide personal or financial information to someone who contacts you unsolicited.

Peer-to-Peer Payment Scams

The rise of peer-to-peer payment apps, which are used to send and receive money, has led to scams targeting less tech savvy people, including:

• Emails claiming you received a payment through the app
• Downloading software that causes someone to control your smartphone remotely
• Impersonating phone calls to your bank, approving payment app transactions

Never click on a suspicious link or accept funds from an unfamiliar name or email address.

Grandparent Scams

Someone calls pretending to be your grandchild, saying they have been in an accident, are in the hospital or jail, and need you to send money. The scammer may ask for a wire transfer or gift cards to help them make a payment.

If you receive one of these urgent phone calls, hang up and verify the wellbeing of your grandchild with another trusted loved one before taking any action.

Financial Scams

Unfortunately, age-related health issues can affect judgment and decision-making. For this reason, financial scams often target the elderly, including:

• Investment Scams: Someone posing as an investment advisor sends you a message, offering advice on managing your portfolio, but they actually plan to steal your funds.
• Reverse Mortgage Scams: You receive a phone call, email or letter offering a lower mortgage rate through refinancing, but the withdrawals really go to a scammer.
• Charity Fraud: Someone contacts you about making a charitable donation, possibly claiming you’ve already made a pledge to donate, and pressure you for cash, gift cards or cryptocurrency.

Debts After Death

These schemes target grieving spouses, with an individual or organization claiming the deceased has outstanding debts that must be repaid immediately to avoid arrest, wage garnishment or foreclosure.

If you are contacted by a debt collector, talk to a lawyer about the legitimacy of the debts.

Prescription Drug Scams

The high cost of prescription drugs can lead some older adults to seek cheaper alternatives.
Yet purchasing medications online may result in receiving ineffective or dangerous drugs and expose your information to scammers.

Understand that legitimate pharmacies will require a prescription from your healthcare provider to purchase medications. If you need help paying for your prescriptions, many companies have patient assistance programs.

Technical Support Scams

You receive a phone call from someone claiming to be with a technology company, stating your computer is experiencing issues but they can fix it remotely. You are then prompted to download software that corrupts your device or steals your information.

If you receive an unsolicited phone call about a supposed computer problem, hang up.

Romance Scams

These scams target lonely adults seeking companionship. You might establish a rapport in the beginning but suddenly, the person starts asking for money to help their family or pay bills. Once they receive the funds, the relationship abruptly ends.

If someone on a dating website pressures you for money, asks for sensitive information or consistently avoids meeting in person, stop communicating.

How to Protect Yourself

With today’s advanced technology, scams are becoming more complex. Always be wary of suspicious activity or offers that seem too good to be true. Protect your online accounts with strong, unique passwords and set up multi-factor authentication. If you have fallen for a scam, report it to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or file a police report.
 
At West Hartford Health & Rehabilitation Center, it’s our goal to protect residents and help them achieve their best quality of life. To learn more about our services, contact us today.