Expert reveals ‘Grandparent scam,’ ‘Romance scam’ and others targeting seniors of Alabama

By METRO NEWS

According to the consumer sentinel network data book, , mericans over the age of reported being the victims of fraud last year, totaling a loss of , , million dollars. Fraudsters often take advantage of those who aren’t tech-savvy, so familiarizing yourself with scams can lead to preventing the fraudsters from being successful. Cybersecurity expert Brandon King from Home Security Heroes has compiled a list of tips to spot and prevent fraud.

According to the consumer sentinel network data book, , mericans over the age of reported being the victims of fraud in .

Alabama ranked as the ninth state where the most fraud was reported in . here were over , cases of elder fraud reported.

What is elder fraud and who are the targets?

Fraudsters target seniors in elder fraud by tricking them into giving sensitive information or offering fa e nancial bene ts. erpetrators could be strangers or nown to the elderly, like family, friends or colleagues, and victims can lose their savings and suffer devastating conse uences.

Older adults are a prime target for fraudsters. They normally target victims in retirement or close to retirement as they have a steady income, excellent credit history, and more savings than younger people.

The most common scams for elders to look out for:

• Grandparent scams: Scammers often pose as the victim’s grandchild to dupe seniors into sending money urgently for emergency expenses like overdue rent or car

#563752AG repairs. They often ask for secrecy, and in one case, an elderly woman in hio was scammed of , by someone posing as law enforcement in .

• Romance scams: Romance scams often target women and above, but men can be victims too. cammers will usually target seniors who have lost their spouses and are looking for companionship. An example would be perpetrators requesting money transfers or gift card vouchers sent to an email address.

• False charity scams: Fraudsters may pose as representatives from a real charity or create ctitious charity organizations. They can make calls, text, or send emails. In some cases, they may even visit seniors in person. False charity schemes commonly happen after a signi cant event, like a health crisis, global socio-political campaigns, or a natural disaster.

• Medical scams: Seniors may feel overwhelmed by edicaid, edicare, the ffordable are ct, and the recurring complexity of the healthcare system. This can make them vulnerable to criminals. Scammers may impersonate Medicare representatives to entice seniors into disclosing personal information like Social Security numbers.

Protecting seniors from scams is crucial, as scammers use various methods to steal personal information and money. To avoid falling victim, seniors and their loved ones should research charities, verify emails and phone calls, and be cautious of unsolicited requests for money or personal information.

Tips to prevent seniors from being scammed:

• Stay connected to your loved ones to prevent isolation, which makes seniors more vulnerable to scams.

• Never share sensitive information to anyone other than those you trust.

• Create strong, unique passwords and avoid reusing them.

• imit online shopping to trusted retailers and chec for secure websites.

• Never click on suspicious links in emails, social media messages, texts, or take calls from fake caller IDs.

• Monitor monthly banking statements for signs of identity theft or unauthorized accounts. Shred statements before disposing of them.

• Protect social media accounts by only accepting friend requests from people they know, updating privacy settings, and using multi-factor authentication. Delete messages from strangers and avoid odd payment types.

If you nd yourself a victim of elder fraud, document everything that has happened, including phone call logs, text messages, and emails, and report the scam to the Federal rade ommission F and the person s ban and credit card providers. File a report with the local police and change all passwords to stronger ones, including social media accounts and investment pro les, setting different passwords for each site and enabling 2-Factor Authentication.