Elder Scams: What You Need to Know
By Jenny Stronk I
t can happen to anyone, no one is truly scam proof. For almost an entire year my 90-year-old grandfather was the victim of a phone scam. He mailed thou- sands of dollars in cash to a stranger who claimed to be an FBI agent, who needed money to keep my uncle from losing his job, tarnishing his good name, and going to jail. Sounds a bit fishy, right? Because it is! My grandfather, unfortunately, fell under this stranger’s spell and for months will- ingly mailed huge sums of his life savings to a P.O. Box in South Florida.
Thanks to a call from a victim special- ist at the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, my family learned that the postal service had intercepted an envelope full of cash sent by my grandfather that they believed was headed to a scammer. Once my mom and uncle got over the immediate shock, they spoke to my grandfather, but when men- tioning the subject, he got very defensive. He’d say things like, “It’s all above board”, “It’s all legal”, and more often, “I can’t talk to you about that”. He would get very angry, an emotion I had never seen him express ever before. He needed help, but it was impossible to get through to him.
The USPIS victim specialist suggested we contact the police to report the scam, speak with his banks, and she sent along a list of steps to help bring this to an end. The police were a very supportive resource. My mom filed a police report and the officers suggested hosting an intervention for my grandfather with my mom, dad, aunt and uncle present. With the help of the police, they tried to explain to my grandfather that these calls were scams, that my uncle was
not in trouble, that he was not in danger of losing his job. It was a difficult day; my grandfather was not receptive to the intervention. My family knew they could help but the hardest part would be doing it without upsetting him.
My mom and family worked for months to stop the scammers from contact- ing my grandfather and to stop my grand- father from continuing to send money. The back and forth between the phone company alone took weeks to have calls forwarded and his number changed. We had to screen his mail. Legally appointing a Power of Attorney was another impor- tant step to be able to set limits on bank accounts, credit cards, and notify Social Security in case his SSN had been stolen. It was a huge effort on my mom’s part, but for a loved one in need, it’s what you do.
What We Learned
There are all kinds of scams out there; internet, email, social media, phone, postal, and yes, even Coronavirus scams. Scammers will impersonate family mem- bers as emotional scare tactics to prey on the lonely and confused. They will brain- wash older folks into believing things they would normally know to be false.
For the family or caregiver of an older person it is so important to be aware of these threats. By simply checking in once every day you might be able to save a person from the theft of their life savings, credit, social security number, and identity. If something doesn’t seem right, question it. If your loved one seems out of sorts, talk to them or arrange a visit to their GP. Elders
should not feel embarrassed or ashamed. To have an open line of non-judgemental communication between caregivers and the elderly is really helpful.
Looking back on the months before
my family knew of the scam, I remember my grandfather, typically a happy conver- sationalist, becoming closed off. His daily phone calls became few and far between and much shorter than usual. At family gatherings, he would leave as soon as the meal was over. He was showing signs that even his closest relatives didn’t pick up on.
Helpful Resources
In my family’s experience, there was not one single resource that answered all our questions or solved all our problems. This is why word of mouth and sharing ex- periences is so important, so we can learn from one another.
1. Create a checklist to help keep orga- nized. Visit the Postal Inspection Service website:
www.uspis.gov for tips on scam prevention and steps to end scamming in progress.
2. Reach out to local police. File a report on the scamming incident, if needed get their assistance with an intervention. The police have information on other scam victims, the number of incidents hap- pening on a local and state level. They are here to help.
3. Speak to local businesses; banks, We- sternUnion, grocery stores, pharmacies, and convenience stores. Let them know what is happening with your loved one. They have experienced other victims of
www.NaturalNutmeg.com 41
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
