Older Americans are often a target for financial scams. They are usually seen as easy targets and many people believe that they have plenty of money in their bank accounts. Unfortunately, these criminals are not selective. They go after wealthy seniors, as well as those that can barely get by.
There are ways to protect yourself (and your loved ones) from elder fraud. In order to do so, you need to know what types of scams are out there. While there are many, some of the common ones include:
Phone scams. Many people use their phones to take advantage of older people. They can pretend to be anyone and ask for anything. The most common scams are people pretending to be the IRS, asking for money. Many pretend to be your bank, though they can say that they are anyway just to get your money.
Many people also pretend to be computer security engineers, telling you that there is a security risk with your computer. These people will often ask to get connected to your computer remotely so that they can steal your money.
Medicare and other health insurance scams. While some scammers pose as representatives for Medicare to gather financial and personal information, just as many try to sell extra insurance for unsuspecting seniors. Some people even provide “medical services” to seniors just so they can bill Medicare.
Counterfeit prescription drugs. Since many seniors watch their money closely, they are always looking for a better deal. Many people sell counterfeit drugs online at a fraction of the cost. Not only can this be harmful to a person’s wallet, the pills won’t improve their health. It might even make it worse!
Homeowner and reverse mortgage scams. Since many people have paid off their home by a certain age, this can be a valuable asset for scammers. They have a lot of equity tied up in their home and scammers take advantage of this.
They may write a letter, asking for money, to assess the property’s value, hoping to alleviate some of the tax burden. They may also try to talk someone into a reverse mortgage.
Fraudulent anti-aging products. Everyone wants to look their best, including seniors. For this reason, it is often easy to get someone to buy products that are going to make them stay young and beautiful.
Investment schemes. Because seniors are trying to invest their money for their later years, they are at risk for investment schemes, especially those that promise to increase their money in a short period of time.
Funeral and cemetery scams. There are different types of scams that funeral and cemetery scams around. Many people read obituaries and then prey on the grieving family. They may tell the family that their dead relative owed them money.
There are also many funeral homes who are dishonest. They also prey on the families by trying to make extra money off of them. They may push the most expensive products and add some extra services in order to make more money.
Using fraudulent legal documents. Some scammers go the extra mile to make things look legitimate. They create legal documents that need to be signed, no matter what it takes. They will lie, intimidate, and even threaten seniors to get what they want.
Unsolicited home repair. Many people scour neighborhoods looking for work. Usually they go door to door, tell them about a problem that needs to be fixed, offering to take care of the problem.
Of course, they get the money up front and, if they fix it, they don’t typically do a good job so that they have plenty of leftover money which is all profit. They may find more problems as they work on the one that they are fixing so they take more and more money from the senior.
Sweepstakes and lottery scams. Many people will call up seniors, telling them that they won some sort of sweepstakes or a lottery. However, they often have to pay money in order to get their prize. If they don’t ask for money, they may want to get certain information that they can use to steal their identity or take their money.
The grandparent scam. The grandparent scam is so simple, yet it can cause a lot of harm. Usually someone calls a person and asks their grandparent to guess who it is. At that time, the caller has an identity.
Then, they ask for money in secret. They make their grandparent swear that they won’t tell their parents, so they can keep taking money for months (or even years) without anyone finding out.
Claiming a family member needs money. A scammer can be very charming when he or she needs to. Scammers often pose as friends of a family member saying that a family member needs help. They may say that they are in jail or are injured and need money.
It is important to take care in order to save your (as well as your family’s) money. There are a lot of people who are looking to take advantage of people (no matter how wealthy or poor) so you should always be cautious with everything that you do.
Some of the most common scams involve health insurance and prescription drugs, as well as anti-aging products that don’t work. They prey on seniors who are worried about money. They may ask them to invest their money into bogus scams.
Unfortunately, many people also go after a senior’s heart. They may pretend to be a relative and ask for money. They get away with it because they ask them never to tell anyone. While they may ask for money once, many times, they continue to take money for months or even years.
Kevin DeVore understands this issue from both sides. He understands there are always innocent victims, but many times there are other unintended consequences for people accused of these crimes. Kevin has worked with many people who have been wrongfully accused of running or participating in fraud schemes. Sometimes those accused are actually victims themselves. If you are the subject of a fraud investigation or you have been charged with committing fraud, call us for help.
Posted 19th April 2018 by DeVore Criminal Defense