Criminals pose as employers or recruiters with fake job listings and seek to obtain money or personal information such as Social Security or bank account numbers. Scammers prey on online daters, for example, then seek funds for their supposed health or financial problems.Įmployment scams. They ask for payment upfront, and never return. Fraudsters knock on your door in spring or summer or after a natural disaster with promises of fixing up your home.
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“They know how to play on people’s emotions,” Royster says.Ĭontractor scams. The victims were told to give cash to a courier who would come to their home to accept the money. The scam involved calling seniors, and telling them that a loved one, typically a grandchild, had been arrested after a motor vehicle accident, and needed cash bail. Attorney, District of Rhode Island, the criminals defrauded 14 seniors out of more than $350,000. Can you send me money to get home?” As recently as July, scammers in Montgomery County, Md., and Providence, R.I., used grandparent scams to obtain hundreds of thousands of dollars. Scammers impersonate a grandchild, saying, for example, “I am stranded in Mexico. Tech support scams are common ways they approach people, sometimes attempting to take over the victim’s computer to “fix” a problem that doesn’t exist. Criminals use email, texts, and pop-ups to prey on their victims. There are a variety of ways older Americans become fraud victims, she says. “Online scams are among the most prevalent scams against older people now, and are increasing over time,” says Genevieve Waterman, director of economic security, National Council on Aging. Fraud by email was 14%, and of those reports, 14% reported dollars lost. Online ads or pop-ups were just 2% of fraud reports but of those reports, 68% reported dollars lost. “During the pandemic, (older adults) are more apt to answer” the phone.įraud by telephone contact was the method for 36% of fraud reports to the FTC when the contact method was identified. “Social isolation is a factor in some types of frauds and scams,” she says. The intensified isolation during the pandemic exacerbated the situation. “They are the highest dollar losses for older adults,” Royster says.
Various types of scams ranging from identity theft and impostor fraud to tech support and grandparent scams are increasing but those who work with older adults point to romance scams as a major problem. Overall, fraud of various types affects “many, many older adults causing substantial financial harm,” she says. “Romance scams are at an all time high,” says Deborah Royster, assistant director, Office for Older Americans with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
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