Every year, senior citizens are targeted by con artists. Many of these victims don’t ask for help
until it is too late!
Warning Signs
- The person receives lots of junk mail (“sweepstakes” offers, etc.) and gets frequent calls from people offering valuable awards or asking for charitable donations.
- The person has written checks or made withdrawals for escalating amounts of money to unfamiliar, out-of-state companies.
- The person begins to act very secretively about phone calls.
- The person is having sudden problems paying bills or buying food or other necessities.
Tips
- Emphasize the criminal nature of telemarketing fraud and help the person learn how to identify it.
- Encourage the person to hang up on telephone solicitations that seem suspicious.
- Have a calm discussion about the best way to handle the person’s finances in the future. If he or she seems to be truly incompetent, seek legal advice.
- Help the person change his or her phone number, if necessary, and get on the Do-Not-Call list at www.donotcall.gov.