Why Does Your Mom Struggle to Recognize Scams?
Two years ago, older adults lost around $600 million to scammers. Pandemic-related scams fooled many people, leading to a swift increase in many scams. Shopping scams increased by 129%. You’ve told your mom all about recognizing scams, yet she still believes many of the emails or calls she gets. You can’t take her phone away, but you see that as the only way to keep her from answering calls. Why does she have such a hard time recognizing scams? Having a senior care services provider on hand to help out with this is a great idea.
Senior Care in Dothan AL: Senior Scams
Scams Can Be Incredibly Convincing
Some scams are extremely convincing. Scammers use the power of social media and the internet to find out as much as they can about your mom. The grandparent scam is a good example of this.
Scammers will look at social media accounts to find photos that show where a grandchild is going to college or on vacation. They know information that convinces your mom the caller knows or is the grandchild in question.
Mail scams are also common. One person received a letter from a major cellphone company thanking the customer for applying for a new phone account. The letterhead seemed authentic. The company address checked out.
Nothing in the letter seemed false, but the person hadn’t applied for a new phone. Questions arose as to why it claimed credit reports were pulled. The recipient had credit freezes in place. One number in the credit report section turned out to be a fake. Had the recipient called that number, they would have connected with the scammers.
Scammers Work to Improve Their Tactics
As scams fail, the reasons why they failed help con artists improve their tactics. When people smartened up to gift cards or money orders being a sure sign of a scam, con artists asked people to withdraw cash, put it in a box, and send it via a delivery service.
Some scams could use something as simple as answering the phone and saying “yes” to pull off scams. Recording the “yes” was all it took to sign people up for costly services or charges they never agreed to.
Does She Lack Companionship?
Sometimes, older adults don’t have many people to talk to. If the phone rings, they answer it. Once they’re on the line, the scammer can use persuasive techniques to convince your mom they genuinely want to help her.
Have you considered that your mom is lonely and likes having someone to talk to? If she keeps answering the phone due to loneliness, hire senior home care aides for companionship and assistance with her mail, phone calls, and emails.
When she has caregivers available to talk to each week, she may no longer feel the need to rush to answer the phone. Call a senior care agency to learn more.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Senior Care in Dothan, AL, please contact the caring staff at Wiregrass HomeCare today. Call us at 334-539-5900.
Sources:
https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/info-2020/ftc-top-scams.html
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