Senior Citizen Fraud
Building a scam-free future for senior citizens.
Why Do Scammers Target Seniors?
They’re more trusting of others — especially people who claim to be looking out for them.
- They often have considerable savings or valuable possessions. This makes them lucrative targets for scammers.
- They’re often not tech-savvy and hence, are easier to scam online, over the phone, or on social media.
- They may have cognitive or physical impairments preventing them from exercising their best judgment.
- They might feel like they can’t report the scam out of fear of losing their independence or being seen as incompetent.
Types of Frauds:
Charity fraud: Charity fraud is the act of using deception to get money from people who believe they are making donations to a charity. Often a person or a group of people will make material representations that they are a charity or part of a charity and ask prospective donors for contributions to the non-existent charity.
Online shopping fraud: Online shopping scams involve scammers pretending to be legitimate online sellers, either with a fake website or a fake ad on a genuine retailer site. Items being offered at unbelievable prices – Fake websites / Sellers.
Lottery Winnings fraud: Beware of fraudsters who lure people by offering attractive prizes. Have you received an SMS or email saying that you have won a prize in a lottery? It's a scam.
Prevent a fraud with these 5 easy steps:
- STOP: Take a moment and think about the situation. Does anything feel suspicious?
- LEAVE: Hang up, close the door, or close the email. If someone is pressing you to act now, they could be a con artist.
- ASK: Call a family member for advice, search online for more details, and find out if the organizations you're speaking to are real. You can also ask a visitor for identification.
- WAIT: Take the time to absorb what you’ve learned and make a plan of action. Don’t rush any decisions.
- ACT: Only visit legitimate websites and call verified, safe phone numbers. You can use independent review websites and email address lookup services to check someone's identity.
