Your mom or dad may be more tempted to answer the door or phone if loneliness is present. In the desire for human contact, your parent is willing to talk and listen. The scammer has the attention needed to pull off the scam.
Home Care Services in Guelph: Senior Scams
Common Scams
Some of the common scams today are hard to catch. Contractor scams can be extremely convincing. A contractor is working at a house down the road. Your mom or dad knows that house has just had work done. The trucks and workers were there regularly for days or weeks.
The supposed contractor stops by to say while he/she was driving by, the roof caught the contractors attention. It looks warped. The contractor will give an estimate on the spot and offer a discount since the workers are already in the neighborhood. As everything seems legitimate, your parent hires the contractor. A deposit is given and the contractor disappears.
The grandparent scam is another common scam. Your parent gets a call from a police officer, doctor, or lawyer that a grandchild was in an accident or arrested for some reason. Money is needed immediately. Scammers are able to pull off this scam because they use social media to get information from photos to create family relationships and get names.
What to Do If Your Parent Falls For These or Other Authorities
The very first thing you need to do is figure out what information was given. If the scammer got hold of bank account and credit card information, contact all financial institutions and ask to have the accounts closed. If your parent gave out a Social Security Number, get credit freezes in place and contact the Social Security Administration.
Call local police and the FBI’s fraud division. File a complaint. Provide as much information as you can. The IP address, a copy of an estimate, email header, and phone numbers all help. The police may ask to work with your parent to catch the scammer. This can work well in capturing a scammer.
Caregivers Keep Seniors Safe
To prevent this from happening, caregivers are essential. When you can’t be there to provide companionship, a caregiver can.
Caregivers offer more than companionship. They can make sure your parent gets out to stores and social activities. They can cook meals and help keep the house clean and organized. Call a home care agency to learn about all the ways caregivers can help seniors who are aging at home.
About Susan Di Michele
Follow Us!