Scams Targeting the Elderly

Because of the trusting nature of their generation, the amount of money they may have accrued over the years in retirement, and their health status scammers are constantly trying to target the elderly.

We’ve come across quite a few recurring scams targeting the elderly that have been happening and have highlighted them in this post.

First, here are some common traits of the scams we’ve found:

• Unsolicited calls, mailings, or door to door sales
• Asking the victim to send money in order to get money
• Posing as a family member to garner trust and get money 
• Offering ‘free’ products that require credit card, bank, Medicare, or insurance information
• Aggressive salesperson with no ID
• Asking victims to sign a contract or blank forms with out the chance to review them
• Being asked to wire funds immediately

Think you or a family member has been a victim of a scam? It’s OK to let your local police department know. You may end up helping someone else in the future. Here are some tips to help avoid getting scammed:

• Be vigilant - it’s OK to ask questions
• Never give money to get money
• Don’t pay for a service upfront
• Never sign blank insurance claim forms or give blanket access to insurance information
• Avoid door to door and telephone salespeople who offer free medical equipment
• Ask for identification and verification - in writing
• If looking for a product or service - shop around and do research
• Read and review anything before signing
• If an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is
• Ignore any calls or mailings that notify you that you’ve been a winner without actually entering anything
• If someone is intimidating, persistent, or putting a lot of pressure to buy a product or give money it’s OK to ask them to leave, hang up, or call the police
• Ask for a call back number or to come back or contact them at another time more convenient for you. If the person doesn’t want to let you get off of the phone, it’s probably a scam

The most frequent ones we’ve seen are below. We’ve tried to link to different stories for you to explain and help you understand how the scams can unfold.

Health care/medicare fraud scams

These scams involve unsolicited calls from someone posing as a Medicare/Insurance company representative or within the medical field offering free equipment, products, prescriptions, or services. 

Sometimes the scammers will operate what is known as a ‘rolling lab’ offering free services that will later be used to bill the victim’s insurance company. 

In once instance, scammers were claiming the be from AARP and were letting victims know they were eligible for a free medical alert device. But in order to receive the device, the 'AARP' needed some information first - insurance and bank information. The scammers would then use that information to steal money or make fraudulent insurance claims.

Grandchild scam/Arrest scam/IRS scam/Jury duty scam

These scams include a phone call where scammer pretends to be someone that can be trusted - a grandchild, police officer, IRS agent, etc. The scammer then tells the victim that if they don’t send money immediately someone will be arrested and put into jail. 

A lot of the time we've found that it’s a scammer posing as a grandchild who is claiming to need bond money in Mexico or another country.

Bill collecting scam

This is another scam that typically starts with a phone call, but instead its from a utility company or debt collector threatening to turn off a service or make an arrest if the victim doesn’t send funds immediately.

Investment schemes/Reverse mortgage/Sweepstakes/lottery scam

These types of scams always promise to make the victim richer. But first, there’s a fee the victim must pay, like a processing fee, in order to receive the money or winnings. These can come in the form of a phone call or mailing. The USPS has created DeliveringTrust.com to help victims figure out if they’re being targeted.

One scam involves receiving a check by mail that the victim is asked to cash after paying a processing fee. But, when the check is deposited, it bounces, the funds are never delivered, and the victim has been scammed out of a fake processing fee.

The sad part is once a scammer is successful in getting money out of their victim, they continue to hit the victim for more money with more and more scams.

Door to door scam

The scammers show up to the victims house claiming to have some extra supplies or goods. They promise to give the service or items away for free after the victim signs a contract. The victim unknowingly signs a contract that requires them to pay money for the promised ‘free’ goods or services.

Scammers can also be selling an overpriced good or service and are very pushy. The victim feels the only way to get the salesperson/scammer to leave is by paying for whatever product they’re selling.

Feel free to share this list with anyone you know - not just the elderly. Stay aware, stay safe!