The digital world offers incredible opportunities for seniors to stay connected with family, manage healthcare, and explore new interests—but it also presents new risks that can be confusing and dangerous. Many older adults didn’t grow up with technology, making them particularly vulnerable to sophisticated online scams and privacy threats. Rather than avoiding the internet altogether, teaching your loved one a few essential…
Scams and misleading Medicare policies are increasing Federal officials say complaints from seniors who were tricked into buying misleading Medicare policies are increasing. They might have been enrolled without their consent or lured by questionable or fake information into plans that might not cover their drugs or include their doctors. To combat this, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has…
In the fight to protect our older adults from financial scams, we often focus on digital threats like phishing emails. But a more persistent, tangible danger arrives daily in their physical mailbox. Junk mail, with its deceptive sweepstakes, fake invoices, and too-good-to-be-true offers, is a primary tool for perpetrating elder fraud. By simply reducing the volume of this predatory mail, we can…
Tax season is prime time for financial scams against seniors Tax season is the perfect opportunity for thieves looking to con older adults. Fraudsters prey on people’s fear of the IRS to steal seniors’ hard-earned savings. We describe the most common tax season scams to avoid and recommend two trusted organizations where you can ask questions and get updates on the latest…
Elder financial abuse destroys lives and costs seniors a whopping $37 billion each year. Dr. Stacey Wood, Ph.D, one of the nation’s leading experts on elder financial abuse, shares 8 ways caregivers can help seniors avoid scams and fraud. Today, people over age 50 hold over 70% of the country’s wealth. But elder financial abuse is all too common. Fraudsters target…
Scams and fraud are a serious threat to seniors Fraudsters destroy seniors’ lives by stealing their hard earned savings. An estimated $36 billion is stolen each year and nearly 4 out of 10 older adults in the U.S. are affected by financial abuse. Many seniors would never imagine that someone would lie and cheat to steal their money. By knowing about popular…
Stay aware to prevent senior fraud Heartless scammers steal $36 billion from American seniors every year. They prey on older adults because they’re more likely to have savings and are more vulnerable to high-pressure tactics. Common scams targeting seniors include calls from fake IRS and fake Medicare representatives, people pretending to be contractors who repair houses, or fraudsters selling fake or predatory…
Finding the right person to help care for your older adult can be tough. The top priorities are that they’re treated kindly and their care needs are met. But sometimes things don’t go smoothly and it’s difficult to know if there’s a real problem or not. Kathy Macaraeg from Caregiving Made Easy shares 6 signs that could mean there’s a serious issue…
Medicare is finally taking a big step to protect all 60 million beneficiaries from fraud and identity theft. They’re issuing new cards that don’t use a person’s Social Security number as an identifier. Today, con artists try to get Medicare numbers or personal information from trusting older adults. Then, because they have the Social Security number, they use that information to steal…
Legal issues that come up when caring for an older adult are stressful. You don’t know what you’re supposed to do, you’re afraid of costly mistakes, or you’re not sure when (or if) a lawyer is needed. To get answers, we asked Dennis Healy from ARAG, a legal insurance firm, to advise us on legal situations that affect seniors and family caregivers. Dennis…
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