Written By: Dementia Consultant Theresa Klein, OTR/L.
Each year thousands of Americans are impacted by fraud and scams that threaten them, their personal information and finances. Seniors, 60+ and older, are often the main target of these scams with over 101,000+ complaints filed in 2023 and over $3.4 billion dollars lost to scammers. Both healthy seniors and those with cognitive impairment can fall victim to this fraudulent activity. In Part 3 of our series “What To Do If You or A Loved One Has Been Scammed” we share steps you can take and resources you can contact for help.
1. Stay calm.
2. Exercise compassion and empathy. Don’t blame or embarrass the individual.
3. Contact help:
- In the state of Minnesota Local Law authorities such as Police and/or Sheriff can assist. Contact them to report credit breaches and/or identity theft.
- Contact all accounts which you believe may have been compromised and share the information. Follow the directions they provide. Many will make a note in your account and may put a hold or extra safeguards on your account (i.e. emailing you to inform you of each purchase, purchases with new vendors or over a certain amount of money.)
- National Elder Fraud Helpline Line 1-833-372-8311
https://ovc.ojp.gov/program/stop-elder-fraud/providing-help-restoring-hope - AAARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline 1-877-908-3360
https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/helpline.html?cmp=KNC-DSM-FRAUD-TextAds-1032-GOOGNB-FRAUD-HELPLINE-BMM-DESKTOP-NonBrand&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwv7O0BhDwARIsAC0sjWP5rkasNBsJCpfkl0Q4xg9HpAwQfNHFBHxjzxh7zQjYFkRrMMPjDMoaAohwEALw_wcB
4. Monitor monthly bank and credit card statements for suspicious activity.
5. Consider paying for a service to help you monitor your credit & identity such as
LifeLock : https://lifelock.norton.com/
6. Check your credit reports. The government offer 3 free credit reports per year. Go to
https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/free-credit-reports
Resources:
1. Attorney General’s Office State of Minnesota:
https://www.ag.state.mn.us/consumer/seniors/seniorscams.asp
2. National Council on Aging:
https://www.ncoa.org/article/top-5-financial-scams-targeting-older-adults
3. National Institute On Aging:
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/safety/beware-scams-targeting-older-adults
4. How To Talk To Older Adults In Your Life About Scams:
https://apnews.com/article/scams-banking-romance-grandparents-investmentb1db3fcc863f1352b9f559b86c7be376