Are Your Parents Likely to Fall for These Common Scams?

Every day, people around the world get scam calls. In the U.S., consumers filed approximately 2.2 million reports with the FTC during 2020. People lost close to $3.4 billion to fraud and scams last year. The top three types of fraud included identity theft, imposter scams, and online shopping.

It’s estimated that 34 percent of these reports involved the loss of money. How well would your parents do against a scammer? Are they likely to fall for these common scams?

COVID-19 Scams

After COVID-19 vaccinations became available, scammers had a new outlet for scamming people. They’d call on phones or through text message or email surveys hoping to fool people into giving out their personal information.

The COVID-19 vaccination card is another popular scam. They’ll email people offering to sell them an official COVID-19 vaccination card. You get that when you get the vaccination, you don’t purchase one.

Elder Care in West Carrollton OH
Elder Care in West Carrollton OH

Some scammers claim you’ve been around someone with COVID-19. These so-called “contact tracers” ask for your health insurance policy number, date, and other personal information offering to schedule a COVID test and collect the co-payment for that test. COVID-19 testing is free, and no insurance information is necessary.

Make sure your parents know that anything related to COVID vaccinations and testing is free. They should hang up and refuse to give any personal information.

Imposter Scams

Several imposter scams exist. Have you ever checked messages to hear that the police have an arrest warrant for you? To avoid them coming to your home and arresting you, you must pay up. Police will never do this. There are similar scams where the caller claims to be from the IRS or DMV. This is a common scam and must be ignored.

The grandparent scam is also common. In this case, your parents will get a call from a scammer posing to be a grandchild, lawyer, doctor, or police officer. The imposter claims the grandchild is sick, injured, or in legal trouble, and payment must be sent ASAP.

If your parents ever get calls like these, they need to hang up. They can call the grandchild or the child’s parent if they’re worried that it may be real.

Hire Elder Care Aides and Lower the Risk of Effective Scams

Have you considered the benefits of elder care for scam and fraud prevention? Caregivers help your parents avoid being scammed by offering companionship. If your parents get a call or find a visitor at the door, their caregiver helps them understand when it’s a possible scam.

The other benefit to elder care is that your parents have someone to talk to. Some older adults answer the phone and stay on the line because they’re lonely. With an elder care aide, you eliminate this issue. Call to learn more.

Sources:
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2021/02/new-data-shows-ftc-received-2-2-million-fraud-reports-consumers

If you are considering elder care in West Carrollton, OH, for an aging loved one, please contact the caring staff at Touching Hearts At Home of Dayton today at 937-558-9394.

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