Senior scams are big business for scammers.
In the world of scamming, older consumers are targeted more than any other age group.Now, the upside of that (if you can call it that) is that older folks lost less money than their younger counterparts. (You might have seen a recent article by the AARP discussing that.)
But, don’t rest on those laurels; scammers make millions off of older adults.
And, it isn’t just the phone they use for senior scams, either. They also use email and tons of social engineering tactics to get your information, so they can steal your identity or your money.
Did you get a windfall from Nigeria? Is the IRS threatening to put you in jail for back taxes? If you’ve heard either of those, you were probably contacted by a scammer.
Most of these scams (whether via phone, email, or software) follow a few common strategies, and if people were more aware of them, they’d be better able to protect themselves. Apart from being aware of scams, they can also utilize identity theft protection services to ensure that everything is taken care of behind-the-scenes.
Read through it … even as a way to refresh your memory. Then, pass it on!
The more awareness people have, the fewer people will get taken advantage of.
